The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has joined forces with the GAA to raise awareness of the importance of donating blood.

The ‘It's In Your Blood' campaign aims to raise awareness of the 70,000 patients that require a blood transfusion every year. It also aims to facilitate donors to give blood more regularly and to encourage more people to donate for the first time.

Currently, the IBTS needs to collect some 3,000 blood donations per week. Blood lasts just 35 days, so the supply must be renewed continually. However, just 3% of people who are eligible to give blood actually do so.

"We are asking club members to encourage their club to sign up to this initiative at giveblood.ie and will ask the club to work with a ‘give blood' GAA club volunteer from within their own club who will promote local clinics to the club members, educate players and families about blood donation, and with the clubs support, mobilise the club to support local clinics and create new blood donation opportunities for members, players and the local community," explained IBTS chief executive, Andy Kelly.

He noted that both organisations are reliant on volunteerism and community spirit and as a result, ‘people involved with the GAA are well placed to help us in our continued mission of maintaining a safe and sustainable blood supply'.

Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, Liam O'Neill, said that the GAA is ‘delighted' to support this campaign.

"The provision of blood is hugely important. To those who already donate on a regular basis, I hope they continue to do so and to those who don't, I would draw their attention to the crucial role they have to play, especially at this time of the year when the requirement is at its most acute," he commented.

The partnership between the two organisations was formally agreed in June 2012. It aims to make donating blood more convenient for GAA members through, for example, the hosting of blood donation clinics in GAA club houses.

Twenty GAA clubs nationwide already host blood donation clinics on their club grounds. The IBTS is hoping that by the end of 2014, at least another 20 have signed up to do the same.

The IBTS is also hoping that 400 GAA clubs will sign up to support and promote existing clinics in the community. It is estimated that this campaign could lead to a further 15,000 blood donations every year.

For more information on donating blood, click here