Two blood donor badges, United Kingdom, 1970-1981

2 blood donor badges, metal and enamel, British, 1970-1981

Blood for transfusions in the United Kingdom comes from volunteer donors. Many donate blood every four months. The National Blood Service in the United Kingdom uses a donor award scheme. For the 25th donation a person makes, they receive a Silver Award pack with a certificate and a badge with “25” on it. For their 2,000th donation, they receive a crystal decanter and a badge with “2000” on it. These badges have the word “Silver” written on them. Blood transfusions are given to patients who have lost a lot of blood during surgery. In the United States donors are paid.