Pupils at a Penarth school are backing calls for students to become lifelong blood donors.
Ysgol Stanwell School in Penarth supports the Welsh Blood Service’s new 'Gwaed Ifanc/Young Blood' campaign, which aims to inspire more young people to donate blood and join the stem cell registry.
The campaign encourages schools and colleges to play a key role in raising awareness and supporting blood donation among students.
The Welsh Blood Service collects around 100,000 blood donations each year to supply 19 hospitals across Wales.
However, only three per cent of the eligible population donates, and fewer than 15 per cent of those donors are under 30.
Since 2015, students and staff at Ysgol Stanwell School have collectively saved up to 3,000 lives and more than 120 students have joined the stem cell registry.
Susan Adams, sixth form coordinator at Ysgol Stanwell School, said: "The blood donation sessions we host at Stanwell are always a highlight in the school calendar, both for students and staff.
"It is vitally important to us as a school that we encourage young people to become blood donors and save lives, to make a difference to our community and patients in need.
"Our next session marks 10 years of supporting the Welsh Blood Service, and we are incredibly proud of how our students continually step forward to donate blood.
"To have collectively saved nearly 3,000 lives so far is both inspiring and humbling."
Ruby Redford, a sixth form student at Ysgol Stanwell School, said: "Giving blood for the first time in school was so rewarding, knowing 10 minutes of my life could give someone theirs back.
"I know that giving blood once from a young age has inspired me to now be a lifelong donor."
Alan Prosser, director of the Welsh Blood Service, said: "Young people are the future of the Welsh Blood Service.
"Schools and colleges play a vital role in helping us to engage young people in blood donation and our stem cell registry.
"Gwaed Ifanc is an important campaign for the Welsh Blood Service as we embark on a bid to encourage more young people to begin their blood donation journeys and save lives."
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