Popular NHS blood donor centre moves to new location within Westfield Stratford City

A popular NHS blood donation centre in Westfield Stratford City has extended its presence at the shopping centre and moved to a new floor, after becoming one of the most successful blood donor centres in England for the number of blood donations made.

The NHS Blood Donor centre in Westfield Stratford City has facilitated over 50,000 blood donations since opening in 2020 – over 14,000 of which were new donors. First set up temporarily during the pandemic to collect convalescent plasma, the original Westfield Stratford City donor centre became very popular with donors and remained open to collect whole blood.

The new Stratford blood donor centre is located on the First Floor (next to Clarks and opposite John Lewis and Costa Coffee) at Westfield Stratford City, London, E20 1EJ, shown on this map.

Caroline Eaton-Howell, Area Manager for London donor centres at NHS Blood and Transplant said:

"The success of blood donation in Stratford – particularly with new donors and donors of Black heritage – since we first made our presence known in 2020 has showed there is huge demand for blood donation opportunities to continue in the area."

"We are delighted to keep collecting blood in Westfield Stratford City and would encourage anyone considering becoming a donor, or if you’ve not donated in a while, to come along to the new centre and help the NHS save even more lives."

"Last week, the first full week since moving floors, we collected a record 784 blood donations since opening back in 2020 which is fantastic to see."

Over 1,800 people of Black heritage give blood in Stratford. This is the largest number of active Black heritage donors in one venue in England.

More than 800 new Black heritage donors signed up and gave blood for the first time in Stratford last year, the largest number in the country.

There is an urgent need for more donors of Black heritage as they are more likely to have the blood type needed to treat sickle cell patients – the fastest growing genetic blood disorder in the UK and which mostly affects people of Black heritage.

The demand for ethnically matched blood for these patients is on the rise and has already doubled in recent years.

Only a short walk from its previous location within Westfield Stratford City, the new Stratford blood donor centre is a comfortable modern environment with a caring team to welcome all donors into the new site.

Alyson Hodkinson, General Manager at Westfield Stratford City commented:

"We are proud to be continuing our support of the NHS blood donor centre as it relocates within Westfield Stratford City. By providing an even more convenient and accessible location for blood donation, our centre continues to serve a vital role in supporting the local community and helping the NHS to save lives.”

Information for visiting the centre

The new opening hours are:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 08:30 – 12:05 & 13:40 – 16:55.
• Tuesday, Thursday: 10:30 – 14:05 & 15:40 – 18:55

Car parking is available in the Westfield Stratford City car-park. Only a few minutes’ walk away, Stratford station provides easy access to the centre via Central, Elizabeth, Jubilee, Overground, and DLR lines.

Permanent donor centres in towns and cities generally have greater availability and longer opening hours than mobile sessions that are held in community venues such as church halls.

Blood is needed to help the NHS treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery, and O negative blood is mostly used for emergency care.

Each donation can save or improve up to three lives.

• Register now and book an appointment at blood.co.uk, on the GiveBloodNHS app or call 0300 123 23 23.
• A 'What’s Your Blood Type' event took place on 3rd April at Stratford donor centre. New or potential blood donors were able to undergo a 5 minute test – where a few drops of blood are taken from their finger – and discover their likely blood type. Their blood type will be confirmed when they donate blood in the future.