I was glad to visit the official opening ceremony of Brixton’s new Blood Donor Centre. Located right at the heart of our community on Brixton Road, this facility will play a vital role in the NHS’s search for 12,000 new Black donors every year to meet growing need for life-saving transfusions.

One of the biggest factors driving this increased demand is Sickle Cell. This is a debilitating condition that mostly affects Black people. We know that Black donors are much more likely to be a match for Sickle Cell patients. We urgently need more people to step up and provide life-saving donations to support them.