Love Island Stars Join The ITV2 Blood Squad

Published: Wed 17 Oct 2018

Video of BLOODSQUAD FINAL

ITV2 and NHS Blood and Transplant spearhead a Halloween campaign.

To appeal for young blood donors, please add the signup link in all copy

www.itv.com/itv2bloodsquad

#ITV2BloodSquad

As the nation prepares to adorn fake blood and gory costumes for Halloween, ITV2 and NHS Blood and Transplant have come together to create the ITV2 Blood Squad.

The ITV2 Blood Squad has been created as part of a fantastic new campaign that will work to alleviate young people's fears and misconceptions about blood donation and encourage them to register and book an appointment at a local donation centre.

Love Island stars' Dani Dyer, Jack Fincham, Wes Nelson, Dr Alex George and Laura Anderson have come together to star in a series of promos to take the fear out of blood donation and help dispel the myths associated with giving blood.

The Halloween themed promos made by ITV Creative, will run on air and across social media from Tuesday 16 th October in the lead up to Halloween. Alex Mathieson, ITV2 Creative Director says: ITV2 are always trying to connect to young people's lives and when we spotted an opportunity to help the NHS Blood and Transplant with such a great cause, we pulled out all the stops to gather together a great team of talent and crew to make it happen. Adding: Our Love Islanders blew us away with their support and generosity inhelping make the campaign come to life, and it's great we can use ourplatform to help so many others.

Joanna Deadman, ITV2 Marketing Executive says: Every October our audience tune in to ITV2 for our Halloween themed programming. We wanted to use this great opportunity and buzz around the blood- thirsty Halloween season to encourage young people to donate their blood and ultimately, help save lives.

As Halloween approaches, ITV2 and NHS Blood and Transplant are urging young people to become donors and combat an ageing donor population. 600 new donors are needed every day to keep the country going, so NHS Blood and Transplant is inviting young people to come forward and allay their fears by proving that giving blood is not scary.

Love Island's Dr Alex George comments: 6,000 donors are required daily to save lives, that is scary. As a doctor in the NHS, I've seen first-hand how important blood donation is. It is quick and easy, you will only feel a small scratch.

Laura Anderson added: I didn't think I would be able to donate blood as I have a tattoo, but then discovered that you can give blood four months after an inking or piercing. I was apprehensive to start with,but can confirm there is

nothing to be scared of.

Dani and Jack say: People can get a bit squeamish about giving blood but from being involved in this campaign we've seen it's really not scary and is so simple. Just an hour of your time can save up to three people's lives, which is

just amazing.

Wes Nelson says: It's such a great campaign and I'm delighted to be involved with it. It's so important to dispel the myths that discourage people from giving blood and I want to help get that message across. In a poll of 1,000 adults, the fear of giving blood surpassed a list of widely known fears amongst the younger generation, with 33 per cent claiming to be afraid of public speaking, 28 per cent terrified of heights and 19 per cent petrified of going to the dentist. Although, unsurprisingly, the fear of creepy crawlies topped the list, with 51 per cent admitting to the fear of spiders.

There are many myths associated with giving blood, which have resulted in fear. The main obstacle to donation is a fear of needles with 26 per cent scared of the process, however, encouragingly, 86 per cent of blood donors have admitted that the process of giving blood was much easier than originally expected proving it was more treat than trick.

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant says: There are many myths associated with giving blood, but it really isn't scary.

There is a particular need for O negative and B negative donors. O negative is the only blood type that can be given to anyone, regardless of their blood type and used in emergencies. B negative is one of the rarest blood groups and only 2% of population have this. If you are aged 17 or over, please register to donate and help us save lives.

If you live or work near to one of our fixed site donor centres, please book an appointment to give there as we have a higher number of appointments available at these centres.

Join us by visiting www.itv.com/itv2bloodsquad

To sign up to the blood donation register and book an appointment today. If you can't book an appointment straight away, please don't worry. Blood donors are needed every day so please book an appointment in the future.

Save a life. Give blood #ITV2BloodSquad

LINK:	https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/love-island-stars-join-...
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