Tooting Donor Centre received 12,452 visits in the last 12 months, seeing a 37.8% increase on the previous year.

Over 2,000 of these visits were from new donors. It is believed this has been achieved by greater public awareness of the need to sustain supplies and donate rarer blood types.

Tooting Donor Centre has seen a year-on-year increase in blood donations over the past three years. 8,140 donors visited in the year 2014-15 while 9,033 visited in the year 2015-16.

To continue this momentum, NHS Blood and Transplant is launching an appeal for members of the black community in Tooting to register to give blood. Across the country, 40,000 new black donors are needed to meet an increasing demand for blood to help save and improve the lives of patients with sickle cell disease.

Patients with sickle cell disease often rely upon regular blood transfusions, and require blood which is more closely matched than by group alone. This is most likely to come from a donor of the same ethnicity but currently only 1% of donors in England are black.

Ola Baikie, a Londoner who lives with Sickle Cell, recently went out on the streets of Tooting and spoke to local shoppers, traders and residents about why they do or don’t give blood.

Ola says: “I was diagnosed with Sickle Cell disease at 11 months, a condition of the red blood cells that affects mainly people from African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Asian origin. I received my first blood transfusion at 18 months. Though I haven’t received blood transfusions in the past five years (owing to a change in the treatment I receive), it did make a difference to my health when I needed it, and I’m glad someone was there for me.”

“When I went out on the streets of Tooting, it was great to see how many people were happy to stop and talk to me. Many said they had never considered giving blood before or had reasons not to do so, like being scared of needles. However it was great when several of them said that they would sign up to donate after hearing first-hand how important closely-matched blood is for people like me with sickle cell.”

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation, NHS Blood and Transplant says: “Approximately 10,000 black people donated blood last year. But we need more. We urgently need 40,000 new black blood donors to help save the lives of patients with sickle cell disease across England.

“Don’t worry if you’ve never given blood before and don’t know what blood group you are – you find out shortly after your first donation. What’s important is that you register as a donor and book your first appointment to donate. By saying ‘I’m there’, you can save the life of someone else, while going about yours.”

To register as a new donor or to book an appointment, visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. Your nearest donation centre can be found at 75 Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0QS.