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Good turns for Scouts seem to have gone out
of fashion since the days when they helped old ladies across roads. And
the annual bob-a-job campaign disappeared in the aftermath of child
protection legislation. But an Explorer Scout from Luton has revived
this tradition with a new brand of good turn. She has become a blood
donor at the age of 17 and she’s out to encourage as many as 15,000
other Scouts to join her.
Caroline Colclough, an Explorer Scout with
Luton’s Lea Valley District, is a fun-loving teenager who takes
challenges in her stride. She climbed and abseiled her way to fitness at
this summer’s District camp in the wilds of Scotland. She helps out at
her local Beaver and Cub Scout meetings and has just completed her
training as a young spokesperson. This year she celebrated her 17th
birthday and realised she now had a chance to help other people in a
unique way by joining the national blood donor service. She reckons
she’s more than prepared to bare her forearm in the fight to save lives.
There are 455 Explorer Scouts in
Bedfordshire and Caroline reckons a third will reach their 17th
birthday in the next 12 months. Nationwide this amounts to a potential
army of 15,000 new blood donors every year. Already she has fellow
Scouts in Biggleswade and Maulden who have promised to join in. And a
group of Explorer Scouts in Cumbria have given their first pints of
blood.
She said
“My Scout Leaders regularly donate blood,
and now I can do the same because I am 17. I have also got my Scout
friends to do this. Around one third of all Explorers would qualify so
if we did this nationwide we would have approaching 15,000 new donors
every year. Part of the Scout Promise is to help other people and this
would be a great way to help as it could possibly save someone’s life
one day!
“It was brought home to me by the story
of one of our Scout Leaders in the county who caught Swine Flu about two
thirds into her first pregnancy. She was rushed to hospital for an
emergency Cesarean Section to save both her and her baby. She recovered
from the ordeal thanks in part to someone who donated blood. She is now
at home with her baby boy celebrating Christmas.”
Claire Dolling, spokesperson for NHS Blood
and Transplant, said: "We'd like
to thank Caroline for supporting us by donating blood. We hope that
others will be inspired by her dedication and will sign up to give blood
or platelets. It really does make a difference, you can save lives. You
never know when you or someone you know will need blood, so we really
hope people will think of others by giving the gift of blood. Donating
blood takes less than an hour and costs nothing, but is priceless to
someone who needs it in an emergency."
Chief Scout, Bear Grylls said
"Caroline and her fellow Scouts have
demonstrated true Scouting spirit and their acts are an inspiration to
many. Scout training shows them the way forward. I am so proud that
they have chosen to offer their life-saving donation to a service that
does so much good for all of us."
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