People in Greater Manchester with the most common UK blood group are being urged to come forward and donate.
The NHS says blood stocks have dropped to “unprecedentedly low levels”.
The health service says that a “perfect storm” of both an increased demand of O-type blood at hospitals nationwide, following the recent cyber attack a couple of weeks back, and reduced collections due what it’s referred to as “high levels of unfilled appointments” at donor centres, is to blame for plummeting stock.
Because of this, the NHS Blood and Transplant has written to hospitals across the UK today to issue an ‘Amber Alert’ asking them to restrict the use of O-type blood to “essential cases” only, and to use substitutions where it’s clinically safe to do so.
🩸 Blood shortage Amber alert 🩸 The @NHS urgently needs O type blood. There are over 12000 appointments available over the next 2 weeks that we need your help to fill.
An ‘Amber Alert’ triggers hospitals being able to implement their emergency measures to minimise usage, move staff to laboratories to vet the use of all O-type blood, and also use patient blood management systems to minimise use of O-type blood.
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The NHS understands that national alerts can be a cause of concern, but it this case, it says the ‘Amber Alert’ forms an important part of the NHS’s “business continuity plan” for blood stocks.
O negative and O positive donors are also being asked to urgently book and fill appointments at donor centres.
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On average, there are around 50,000 blood donor appointments to fill each week, and more than 12,000 appointments still to fill in donor centres over the next two weeks.
Hospitals will continue to carry out urgent, emergency or trauma surgery, cancer surgery, transplant surgery, and blood transfusions to treat people with long term conditions – but, the NHS has revealed that to supply the nation’s hospitals with the 1.5 million units of blood they need to treat patients, appointments need to be close to fully booked all year round.
Donors are being urged to give blood as the NHS declares a national shortage ‘amber alert’/ Credit: NHSBT| Los Muertos Crew (via Pexels)
“We urgently need more O group donors to come forward and help boost stocks to treat patients needing treatment,” commented Dr Jo Farrar, who is the NHSBT’s Chief Executive, as the ‘Amber Alert’ was issued.
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“Last month, we saw an incredible response from donors who answered our call and filled up our centres, helping us meet the increased demands for blood throughout June.
“However, seven weeks on, the need for O-negative blood, in particular, remains critical.
“We’re making an additional 1000 appointments per week available, so please take a moment to go online and book.”
You can find out more and book a blood donor appointment either on the NHSBT website here, on the GiveBloodNHS app, or by calling 0300 123 23 23.
Featured Image – NHS Blood Donation (via Facebook)
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Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
29th July 2024 
