In their first JCR meeting of the year, Pembroke JCR has passed a motion to offer a pint of beer to every student who donates a pint of blood.
The original motion stated that any Pembroke JCR member who donates a pint of blood this Tuesday will receive a free pint at the college bar, with an initial cap of £100, which was subsequently amended to a higher cap of £200.
This motion was proposed following NHS Blood and Transplant’s request for 204,000 new blood donors in June, and the fact that currently only three to four per cent of the eligible population donates blood; facts which were stated in the motion.
An amendment was passed to reimburse students the price of a pint whenever a member of the JCR donates blood during the course of this Michaelmas term, not just for the original day proposed.
When approached for comment on Pembroke’s motion, Mark Bailey, Regional Marketing Manager at NHS Blood and Transplant, said, “We are aware that the Junior Common Room of Pembroke College at the University of Oxford is offering pints of beer to Pembroke students who sign up to donate blood.
“While this is a nice initiative to thank the student community for registering to give blood and save lives, we need to emphasise that this is not an NHS Blood and Transplant scheme we’re backing as we can’t incentivise people to register as blood donors or donate blood.
“New donors are crucial to replace donors who can’t donate anymore and will help ensure we have the right type and number of donors to provide the right mix of blood to match patient need in future. If Pembroke College students do take up this off er, we would encourage them not to drink alcohol immediately after donating blood.”
Yoni Stone, Pembroke JCR RAG and Charities Rep, told Cherwell afterwards, “I am proud of Pembroke for promoting this worthwhile cause in such a way and strongly encourage other JCRs to also offer a Pint for a Pint.”
