Randomness

Flying without checked-in luggage

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Flight home

When we went to Dublin, Christine and I flew with Ryanair, the airline everybody loves to hate. This is mainly because Ryanair has unbundled just about anything that can be considered optional from its fares. Which means that the basic fare is cheap, but you may end up having to pay more for things that other airlines include. For example, the ability to check in luggage to be carried in the plane’s cargo hold.

Ryanair’s carry-on baggage allowance isn’t as bad as it once was, thankfully. For each passenger, two bags – a large one and a small one – are permitted, with the largest bag limited to 10 kilograms. That’s enough for a rucksack and a camera bag, for example. If you want to check in a bag, then there’s a £20 charge per person per flight for up to 15 kilograms, so that would be £40 if we wanted to take a larger case to Dublin and back. We decided, therefore, not to check in a bag.

We found that there are several advantages and disadvantages to not checking in luggage, some of which are listed below.

It may be cheaper

I’m sure Ryanair isn’t the only airline that offers cheaper fares for those that don’t need to check in their luggage. It saves the airlines quite a bit of time and money, so whilst it’s nice to find it included in your fare, you may find that if you can cope without it, savings can be made.

You may not need to check-in in person

Most airlines allow you to check-in online, and some, like Ryanair, pretty much mandate this. Not printing your own boarding passes on such airlines can cost quite a bit of money. Consequently, the ‘check-in’ desks for low-cost airlines essentially just become ‘baggage drop’ desks, where you can check-in your luggage to go into the hold. If you’ve no luggage to check-in, then you can just head straight for the security screening area. Unless you need a visa to travel and are required to have this checked by someone from the airline, in which case you will need to go to the check-in desk first.

You can’t carry liquids in containers larger than 100ml

Liquids in carry-on bags must be in containers of 100 millilitres or less, including any shampoo for example. So for our Dublin trip we bought travel size bottles of shampoo, deodorant and the like. These cost more per millilitre than regular-sized bottles so it’s another expense to consider. Alternatively, you could buy such things after passing through security (even a small airport like Leeds-Bradford had a Superdrug airside), or once you’ve arrived at your destination. And most hotels offer complementary shampoo and soap.

There’s no need to wait for baggage reclaim

If you carry your bags with you, then once you’re off the plane you already have all of your luggage. So there’s no need to wait at baggage reclaim – you can head straight out of the airport and onwards to your destination. Considering it can take some time for your luggage to make it off the aircraft and onto the carousels, especially at larger airports, this may save you quite a bit of time.

That being said, on the return flight from Dublin to Leeds-Bradford, practically no-one had checked in any luggage. Ours was the only flight landing at that time, so reclaim was a relatively quick and easy process for those that had checked in bags. I guess it’s a sign that Ryanair’s policy is working.

No risk of your luggage getting lost

You know where your bags are at all times. After all, you’re the one who brought them on the plane, put them in the lockers, retrieved them again and took them off the plane. So they can’t be left behind, put on the wrong plane, or picked off the carousel accidentally by somebody else. Plus, any fragile items are less likely to get broken if you’re careful with your bags, since you’re not at the mercy of the baggage handlers.

You may be limited to what you can take

Whilst we managed to fit in everything that we needed for our four night stay into two rucksacks and two shoulder bags, with room to spare, we may not have been able to manage this for longer trips. Indeed, we were somewhat conservative in what we took – I only had one pair of shoes, which I wore, and had a coat and jumper wrapped around my waist. We also had the benefit of travelling in summer – had we gone in January, for example, or to a cold country, we’d have needed more warm clothes which would have taken up more space.

You may need an iron

If you’re bringing smart clothes then you may have to crumple them up in your bags to make them fit. So it may be worth checking that your accommodation at your destination offers access to an iron or trouser press. Or, if you have space, take a travel iron, but make sure it’s drained of water and doesn’t push you over any weight allowances.

Buy yourself a luggage scale

We bought a luggage scale for less than £2, from which we could weigh our bags to ensure they were under the 10 kilogram limit. The scale itself was quite small and light, so we could also take it with us to make sure that our luggage was compliant on the way back as well. As it happens, at no point were we asked to weigh our bags but it was best to be on the safe side in case it happened.

You can buy these scales for £2.10 at Amazon (sponsored link), with more accurate digital ones in the £5-£10 range.

You may need to buy new bags or cases

Christine’s handbag was too large to be her ‘small bag’ under Ryanair’s rules, so she used this as an excuse to buy a new, smaller handbag. Thankfully, not an expensive one, so it was still cheaper than it would have been to check in her larger bag. Similarly if you only have small bags, you may need to buy a slightly larger one. Ryanair has a range of bags it recommends, that fit within its dimensions, but at quite a high price.

I wasn’t able to use my normal rucksack, which is designed to be comfortable when hiking. It fit the dimensions, but is curved to keep my back cool, at the expense of internal space. Instead, I used a less ergonomic bag which had a larger capacity, but at least it was one that I already owned. If you don’t own a suitable bag, then you need to consider the cost of buying one versus checking in a bag that you already have.

If you want to take this to an extreme, buy a wearable luggage jacket that lets you keep many items on your person, to maximise the space in your luggage. The cheapest ones are about £30 and have plenty of pockets.

Finally, I’ll leave you with this amusing video by the cabaret act Fascinating Aida, about cheap flights and the added extras.

Notes on Dublin

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Following last year’s cultural observations about Paris, I’ve decided to do the same about Dublin. This isn’t about where we visited – that was yesterday – but all of the little things we saw or did.

Flight home

Getting from the airport

Following advice from the guidebook, we took the 747 Airlink bus from Dublin airport into the city centre. It’s a bit pricey, at €6 one way, but the €10 return ticket is valid for over 12 months. It’s probably the best compromise between price, speed and comfort, as it uses the Dublin Tunnel to get into the city centre quickly. There are more expensive, but probably more comfortable coaches operated by First, as well as some slower but cheaper buses. A taxi will set you back at least €20 each way for up to four people, although if there are four of you that means it’s the same return price as the Airlink so may be worth bearing in mind. The airport isn’t connected to the local rail or tram networks, sadly.

Open top tour buses

There are two open top tour bus companies operating in Dublin – one operated by Dublin Bus (the municipal operator) and another is a CitySightseeing franchise. The latter is cheaper overall, as its €22 ticket is valid for two days, whereas the €19 ticket offered by Dublin Bus is for a single day. Both offer small discounts for some of the attractions.

Whilst they are a good way to see lots of attractions from the outside, be aware that most of the buses have an open top deck and it rains a lot in Ireland. And there are cheaper ways to get around the city, using regular buses or the trams. We therefore didn’t bother with the tour buses.

Dublin Pass

If you’re going to do a lot of attractions whilst visiting Dublin, then the Dublin Pass may be worth considering. Once you’ve bought the pass, you get free entry to all of the participating attractions for the duration of the card. However, personally I feel it’s a bit of a rip-off as you’ll need to visit at least three attractions in a day for it to worth the €39 cost. For some places, this may mean cutting visits short. We didn’t bother with the pass.

Luas Trams

The Luas tram system

The aforementioned tram service is a quick and relatively cheap way of getting around the city – particularly to places like Dublin Zoo and Kilmainham Gaol which are some way out of the city (although you will still have quite a walk once you get off the tram in both cases). The trams are very frequent – as often as every three minutes – and the system only opened in 2004 so it’s modern and comfortable. There are two lines – the Red Line goes east-west to the north of the river, and the Green Line goes north-south to the south of the river. However, presently the two lines do not meet and so the north of the city isn’t served yet – a cross-city line is presently under construction.

Mobile phones

Ireland has three of the same mobile networks as the United Kingdom – O2, Three and Vodafone. There’s no EE but their fourth network is called Meteor, owned by the Irish national phone company Eircom. If, like me, you use Three then you’ll be pleased to know that Ireland is a ‘Feel at Home’ country, so you can use your inclusive minutes, texts and data allowance as you would in Britain at no extra cost. Vodafone charged £2 a day for internet roaming, by comparison.

I had a 3G signal everywhere in Dublin – in fact, it was better than some parts of Leeds or London – but no 4G on Three as yet, it seems.

Dublin Free Wifi

Free Wi-fi

It seemed like just about everywhere offered free wifi (or at least a wifi service that was free for a short time). This included our hotel, most cafés and restaurants, and most of the tourist attractions too. It was certainly more prevalent than what I’m used to in Britain.

My theory is to do with Ireland’s mobile phone networks. They all use GSM and UMTS, like in Britain and most of Europe. But Verizon and Sprint in the USA don’t use GSM or UMTS and so phones on these networks won’t work in Ireland. Ireland receives a lot of tourism from America, hence the need to provide Wifi (AT&T phones should work fine, and T-Mobile phones may work).

In any case, Christine, who is on Vodafone in the UK, decided not to pay the £2 a day for internet, and just use the free wifi hotspots. And rely on me.

The weather

It rains a lot in Ireland. We Brits may think we get a lot of rain, but Ireland gets even more. Make sure that you pack a waterproof jacket, and/or an umbrella to take with you. Many shops in Dublin also sold plastic ponchos for days when it gets really bad.

Security and crime

Crime levels in Dublin are, apparently, similar to any other large city. Sadly, Christine almost got pickpocketed by someone on O’Connoll Street, not far from our hotel. A young bloke sneaked up behind her and tried to open her handbag; thankfully, she felt the tug and very quickly had the miscreant pinned up against some railings and on the receiving end of a large amount of angry shouting. He didn’t manage to take anything but he did run off very quickly afterwards. After that, we put our passports, which had been in her handbag, into the hotel safe, just in case.

We also noticed that there were a lot of rough sleepers and beggars in the city, especially in the area around Trinity College.

Please do not irritate the animals

Language and signage

The official language of Ireland is Irish Gaelic, with English as the second language. This means that on most signs, you’ll see both languages, with the Gaelic text in italics and the English text in capitals. That being said, in our experience I don’t think anyone used Gaelic conversationally and so you’re highly unlikely to find anyone who doesn’t speak English.

Road signs are somewhat different to British and Europeans ones, and they more closely resemble American designs. However, the font is the same.

Prices

Dublin has a reputation of being an expensive city and this was partly true in our experience. In other words, there are many ways that you can spend lots of money unnecessarily, as I’ve mentioned above. Drinks in particular were often on the pricey side, with a pint of beer coming in at around €5 – £4, or almost double what I’d expect to pay in my local pubs here in Yorkshire. But there were cheaper places – for lunch, I can recommend KC Peaches on Nassau Street, opposite Trinity College, where you can fill a plate from a buffet and get a drink for less than €10.

Familiar brands like Subway are everywhere in Dublin, with many Londis franchises having a Subway concession inside, but they are slightly more expensive than Britain. The £3 Subway and drink deal is €4 for example. Also remember that shops in Ireland have to charge you extra for plastic carrier bags – 22¢ I think.

One potential way to save money is to book tickets for attractions in advance online. We didn’t do this because our British debit and credit cards charge extra for non-Sterling transactions, so any potential savings would be wiped out. But if you have an overseas spending credit card then you may be able to save 10-15% off entry for attractions this way.

Preventing Tetanus

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Screenshot of the NHS information page about tetanus

When was the last time you had a tetanus vaccine? If the answer is ‘I don’t know’ or ‘more than ten years ago’, then you may wish to contact your GP to make an appointment to get vaccinated.

After a recent incident involving a colleague’s hand, a door, and their subsequent trip to the local accident and emergency department, I realised that the answer to that question was the latter in my case. I’m pretty sure that I’d not had a booster vaccination for tetanus since before leaving York to go to university in 2002, so I was overdue.

Thankfully, the vaccine is free to everyone in the UK (thank you, NHS). As I already had an appointment with the practice nurse for an asthma checkup yesterday, I just asked in advance if I could be given the vaccination at the same time. It’s mostly like any other vaccine but can make your arm hurt for up to 48 hours afterwards apparently.

Tetanus is actually pretty rare in the UK, with only three people contracting the disease in England and Wales in the whole of 2011. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have the vaccine, as though it is rare, it can be fatal. The symptoms can include lockjaw, followed by muscle spasms and stiffness, a fever, high blood pressure and an increased heartbeat. If left untreated, it can result in heart failure, and indeed 11% of those who contract the disease die. The disease is usually contracted through wounds on the skin, which is why you may be asked if you have had the vaccine recently if you present at casualty with an injury.

Some younger people may have lifelong immunity to tetanus, thanks to changes in the vaccination programme, but if you’re approaching middle age like me then you will probably need a booster vaccine every ten years. Either way, speak to your GP or practice nurse, as he/she will be able to advise you whether you need the vaccine.

How to: call Freephone numbers on mobiles for free

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As more and more people use their mobile phones as their main phone, instead of landlines, it’s becoming more of a scandal that ‘freephone’ 0800 and 0808 numbers are usually not free on mobiles. Not only that, but users with contracts that have inclusive minutes (which is most people), will find that calls to freephone numbers aren’t included. My network, Three, charges me 15.3 pence per minute to call freephone numbers, and my allowance of 300 minutes per month won’t cover it. EE charges its customers 40p per minute.

The situation will, thankfully, change soon. Ofcom has mandated that calls to freephone numbers from mobiles must be free from late June 2015, but that’s not so useful if you need to call someone right now. So, instead, here are a few workarounds if you need to call a freephone number, and don’t have a landline phone that you can use.

1. Use Skype

If you have a smartphone with Skype installed, and have enabled SkypeOut which lets you call regular phone numbers, then you’ll be pleased to know that freephone numbers are completely free. You’ll also probably find that calls made through Skype to 0845 and 0870 numbers are also cheaper than on your mobile.

The downside is that you need to have access to a reasonable internet connection for this to work – 3G or Wifi is usually okay but you will struggle on anything slower. And this might not be a good option if you don’t have a very high data usage allowance.

2. Find the geographical equivalent

Freephone numbers like 0800 numbers, and the chargeable 0870 and 0845 numbers, all point to regular geographical numbers – ones starting with 01 or o2. So if you can find out that geographical number behind the 0800 number, you can call that instead, and make use of your inclusive minutes. SayNoTo0870.com is a rather dated web site that lists many of these numbers, and you can search both by company and by phone number.

3. Use a geographical call forwarding number

Instead of calling the freephone number directly, you can call a third party service using a geographical number, and then have your call forwarded. The call is billed as a geographical number and so will therefore be included in your call allowance. There’s a couple of services to try – 0800 Buster and 0800 Wizard. With 0800 Buster you can actually dial both numbers at once, by inserting a pause character between them, so you can save them to your contacts.

4. Use an app

The aforementioned 0800 Wizard service also has a series of smartphone apps – here’s a link to the iOS app, and it’s also on Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone. You open the app, dial the 0800 number as normal, and the app will automatically route it through a forwarding number as above.

I’m not aware of any privacy issues with using these services – although they forward your calls, I don’t think they’re able to somehow eavesdrop on your conversations.

Next year, none of this will be necessary, and freephone calls will actually be free for everyone. But in the meantime you can stop wasting money on calls that should be free.

Reluctantly opting out of care.data

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A screenshot of the faxyourgp.com web site

I wrote this article before the six month delay was announced yesterday. However, most of it still applies, so read on.

Yesterday, I reluctantly opted out of having my medical records shared with third parties. I’ll explain why, and how to do this yourself.

NHS England are compiling a new database called ‘care.data’, which will be available for health professionals, universities, drug companies and insurers to use. The main aim is for medical research, which could be ethnographic, or to look at individual cases for the advancement of healthcare and treatments. The NHS, being a mostly-integrated system which is used by a vast majority of the population, means that it is almost unique amongst healthcare systems in the world in providing cradle-to-grave care. The data produced by the NHS could be really valuable and lead to better health and wellbeing for everyone. Further information is on the NHS Choices web site, and this article in Nature explains why it is a good idea.

On this basis, it seems like a good idea. But whilst the idea is good, the execution isn’t.

The major issue is privacy. To compile this database, the full medical records of everybody who is registered with a GP in England will be imported into this database. You would expect, therefore, for this data to be anonymised; it is, but only slightly. Your name will be removed, but your date of birth, full postcode, NHS number and gender will still be included. That will still make just about everyone in the database uniquely identifiable.

For example, I work at a university – indeed, one where the data from such a database could be really useful, as we do medical research. In fact, I’ll make a shameless plug for our Crocus Cancer Appeal whilst I’m here. Anyway, we have a student database, and, given someone’s’ postcode and date of birth from their pseudo-anonymised medical record, I reckon we could match 99% of those records with our student records. So it’s not at all anonymous. And there’s a particular worry that insurance companies will be able to access records, which could make it very difficult for some people to obtain life insurance.

To make matters worse, this is an ‘opt-out’ scheme rather than opt-in. If you do nothing, then in just a few weeks your data will be irrevocably added to this database, at which point, you will not be able to opt out if you change your mind.

Unsurprisingly opposition to this has been growing. A petition on SumOfUs.org has over 250,000 signatures, and there are concerns from the British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs. In particular, there are concerns that only around a third of adults recall receiving a leaflet about the changes (I certainly don’t remember receiving one) and that there is no form to opt out. Others are worried about the potential for accidental data leaks, or for information to end up in the hands of organisations like GCHQ or the NSA.

So, although I’m in favour of the general idea, and agree with the spirit behind the database, I have contacted my GP surgery asking for my medical records to not be included in the care.data database. Because I’m worried that my medical records could be abused or used in a way that would not be in my best interests, and because this is my only chance to opt out. I can’t just wait and see what happens, and try to opt out later, as it’ll be too late.

I hope that changes will be made, which will maintain the usefulness of the data whilst respecting the privacy of the people whose data is being used. In particular, a greater level of anonymity, perhaps with more vague dates of birth (month and year only) and less accurate postcodes (sub-districts rather than exact areas). And people should be able to opt out at any time, not just at the start of the project. If these changes are made, then I may consider opting back in.

So, if having read this, you also want to opt out, then the easiest way is using FaxYourGP, which will send a template fax to your GP. Alternatively, medConfidential has a form and covering letter which you can use. Whilst you can write your own letter, there are certain codes that you will need to include in your letter which is why I’d suggest using one of the two methods.

It’s sad that I feel like I need to opt out from what could be a great resource, and I’m angry that it has been managed so poorly.

Gin

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Christine, my dear wife of nine months, has recently discovered that she likes gin. I’m sure most of you have heard of gin, but essentially it’s an alcoholic spirit, usually made with juniper berries, that is commonly consumed with tonic water. It can also be served with lime, bergamots or cucumber.

Gin used to be incredibly popular in England, in a period during the early 18th century called the ‘Gin Craze‘. Back then, even the average person would consume 10 litres of gin each year – roughly equivalent to six single gin and tonics a week. This was partly due to the fact that gin was safer than water, which was frequently contaminated. It had a renaissance in the 19th century, when ‘Gin palaces‘ started appearing, but nowadays it isn’t so popular.

Certainly if you were to go to a typical pub today, your choice of gin would be rather limited. In Britain, Gordon’s is the biggest selling brand, and frequently is the only one available. Though I don’t really like gin myself, Christine informs me that Gordon’s isn’t particularly good – i.e. Gordon’s is to gin like Foster’s is to beer.

A number of places will also sell Bombay Sapphire, which is distilled in England despite its name. Better pubs may have Hendricks or Beefeater. But if you’re lucky enough to happen across a bar with a bigger range of gin brands, then there are a large number to choose from. In fact, if you have around £100 to spare, then you can buy the Ginvent Calendar – an advent calendar with 24 drams of gin, each one a different variety. My cousin has bought this for two years’ running.

For those with a passion for gin, then there are gin festivals where you can try different varieties – like at a beer festival. Leeds played host to one last year, and the Manchester Gin Festival is on the 5th April.

I’m afraid I find gin a bit too bitter, although I recently tried Hendricks and tonic and it was quite nice. And I quite like damson gin. But unlike my wife, I can’t see myself drinking it regularly.

50 years of Doctor Who

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Someone's parked a TARDIS in Bradford City Centre...

Tomorrow, the 23rd November, is the 50th anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who. A special extended episode, called The Day of the Doctor, will be broadcast simultaneously across the world, and in 3D at selected cinemas.

Sadly I will be out at a friend’s birthday tomorrow and so will have to avoid any spoilers until I get to watch it on BBC iPlayer on Sunday.

The build-up to the 50th anniversary has been huge – doctorwhosavetheday.com has been unlocking short clips once a certain number of tweets and status updates with the hashtag have been posted. There have been a number of specially-commissioned TV shows, such as last week’s The Science of Doctor Who with Professor Brian Cox, and a documentary drama called An Adventure in Space and Time (iPlayer link). And miniature TARDISes have been popping up in other BBC programmes such as Eastenders and Holby City.

The biggest surprise of all was the release of the prequel to The Day of the Doctor, conveniently called The Night of the Doctor:

Without wanting to reveal too many spoilers, the mini-episode fills in some gaps in the Doctor’s timeline.

It’s a very different situation to ten years ago, at the fortieth anniversary in 2003. Back then, Doctor Who had been off our screens for several years, and had a reputation of being a low budget show with wobbly sets and cheesy special effects. Nowadays, the announcement of the new Doctor warrants a half hour special TV show, as happened earlier this year when Peter Capaldi was confirmed as the twelfth Doctor.

I was a bit too young to watch Doctor Who the first time around, so I picked it up with the revived series in 2005, and the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. And since then I’ve been hooked – never missing an episode and owning many of them on DVD and Blu-Ray. I even read up on some of the background information on the characters, on sites such as the TARDIS Data Core. And I’m not the only one, as many of my friends are fans of the show.

I’m really pleased that such a classic British show is still popular, and, if you excuse the pun, constantly ‘regenerating’ for new generations to enjoy. Let’s hope it’s still going in another fifty years. You never know, time travel may even be science fact in 2063, and not just science fiction… 🙂

On a top secret hotel mission

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Midland Hotel

Christine and I are back from a lovely weekend in London. We decided to try out lastminute.com‘s ‘Top Secret Hotels’ for one of the nights. This is where the web site offers a deep discount at a (usually) four or five star hotel, but it doesn’t show you the name or any specific information about the hotel until you have booked. This means that premium hotels can fill spare rooms without damaging their reputation by lowering prices.

The hotel we booked was listed as having four stars, four out of five on TripAdvisor, and was located somewhere between Kensington and Fulham. Once the email came through, it was revealed to be the Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, located at Stamford Bridge, the ground for Chelsea Football Club. Apparently, we saved around £45 on the cost of the room.

Note that the hotel pictured above is The Midland Hotel in Morecambe, Lancashire. I didn’t take a picture of the hotel we stayed at this time.

Unfortunately the hotel was a bit disappointing. I’ve gone into more detail on a TripAdvisor review (awaiting moderation) but I would give the hotel three out of five, based on the price we paid; at full price, probably two out of five. There were a few things wrong with the room, but also, when booking a secret hotel, the bed layout cannot be guaranteed. So whilst we were hoping for a double room, we actually got a twin room. It does clearly state that this could happen when you book, but it’s worth knowing about.

Frankly, I’ve stayed at much nicer budget hotels, like Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express, and paid less for the privilege. Whilst it was interesting to try somewhere a bit mysterious, I think we’ll stick with the hotel brands that we know and feel comfortable with next time.

The blood donation interval study

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A screenshot of the web site for the Blood Donation INTERVAL study

I’ve recently volunteered to part of the INTERVAL study, which will look into how frequently blood donors can give blood.

At present, the guidelines are very rigid: men can give every twelve weeks and women can give every sixteen weeks. What the interval study aims to do is allow some people to donate more frequently, whilst monitoring samples of blood taken at the donation. The hope is that, in future, regular donors will be able to give blood more often than at present, boosting blood stocks.

The NHS Blood Service is already facing challenges. The recent heatwave in the UK has led to fewer people giving blood and current stocks of O- and B- blood groups are critically low (less than four days’ worth). The UK also has an ageing population with people living longer, and more blood will be needed to support the very young and very old who can’t donate themselves. And despite recent drives to recruit more donors, only around 4% of people give blood.

Some other EU countries already allow people to donate more frequently. In Austria, it’s eight for men and ten for women. However, there may be factors that affect how regularly individual people can donate, which is why samples will be taken at each donation. This may mean that, following the outcomes of the study, some people will be able to donate more frequently than others. What is most interesting about the study is its size: in total, 50,000 regular donors are needed – 25,000 men and 25,000 women.

I’ll admit that it took me until last year to give my first pint of blood, but I’ve donated twice since then, and agreed to be part of the interval study. Of course, with my luck being as it is, I’m in the control group and can therefore still only give blood every twelve weeks. But some men will be selected to give every ten weeks or even every eight weeks. Women will be able to donate every sixteen weeks (the control group), fourteen or twelve weeks.

There are a few caveats with the interval study. Firstly, you will have to, as far as possible, keep to the regular donation cycle that you have been placed onto with minimal variations. Secondly, the study is for two years, so you will need to sustain the regular donations for this period. Finally, the donations you make will need to be at one of the 24 dedicated blood centres in England; thankfully there’s one in Bradford which is within walking distance from work. But my friends in York would have to go to Leeds, for example.

Hopefully the results of the interval study will confirm that it is safe for people to donate more frequently. Until such a time comes when we can safely and efficiently manufacture replacement blood, our hospitals are reliant on a regular supply of blood from donors. Being able to make optimal use of the small minority who do give blood regularly will benefit so many more patients in urgent need of a transfusion.

If you don’t already give blood, you can find more details on blood.co.uk.

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