Clifton CC

I read recently that the blood transfusion service always has a dip in donations in December as everyone is busy; but not a dip in demand for blood. Since I'm nearly forty and ashamed to admit I've never yet given blood, I thought I'd try to 'get the habit' before I become a net debtor.

Anyway, one of the reasons I've not given blood is that, ever since I was at university and might have started donating, I've always had a flimsy excuse about some sporting event coming up which I didn't want to compete in with a pint or so missing. (This really is flimsy - we're not talking the Olympics here...).

Maybe some other Cliftonites harbour the same vague doubts. If so, now is an *ideal* time to give - unless you're a cross-nut, there's not much racing on, and you're probably going to be off the bike for a week or so over christmas before dipping a cautious toe into the frosty lanes of January. So why not siphon off a few tired corpuscles now, and encourage a healthy surge of erythropoiesis to get your new year off to a flying start? You can feel better about that seasonal gluttony as well, having shed a couple of pounds aready in a good cause...

It's easy to book a session at www.blood.co.uk . (Now Dr Dave can explode the dubious physiological reasoning in this post...)

cheers,
tom

If you can plan it like the Tony Hancock series - The Blood Donor, then they could save yours for you just incase. I hear lots of ahletes do it -)

I give blood on a regular basis & have done for the past 40 years, and I always plan to give it on a Thursday or earlier, so that I have recovered sufficiently for the weekend rides. And have never had a problem, so everybody who doesn't, please give it a go; you never know it might be you he needs it over the holiday period when supplies atre at there lowest,
Bernard

Having seen the state of the mountain bikers at the end of their Christmas bash i can think of one reason why not best time to donate

Mind you didn't hinder their dancing ability. We were fantastic.

When I did National Service we got extra leave if we gave blood. That will explain why I never wore my army boots out!
In spite of the fact that needles then were so blunt you had someone standing behind to hold you down when the needle received the upward thrust!
I believe they have improved a bit since.