Hey you, you should donate blood! We all should. It’s a totally painless and easy procedure and it’s really important, especially if you have a blood type that is a bit unusual. The Blood Service make donating a breeze — you go in, have a quick consultation with the nurse to make sure you’re OK to donate, and then you just lie back and watch the blood get pumped out of you!(You don’t have to watch if you don’t want). The people running the donations are always really friendly and good at putting you at ease if you’re a bit nervous. They also make sure you’re OK afterwards, and bonus, insist you have a drink and a biscuit before you go. Apart from donating at the Epsom site, they also have lots of mobile units set up. It’s super easy to donate, just make a booking online or give them a call. The Blood Service are always looking for Maori and PI donors, especially as bone marrow donors, so if this applies to you, do look into it. They also have a whole tikanga set up around donating blood if you’re worried about any aspect of this.