By Sarah Woolley. Image credit: Jon Candy
voice.wales has learned that Cardiff Council asked Welsh Blood Service to cancel blood donation appointments so it could use Cardiff City Hall for a book of condolences for the Queen. This resulted in cancellations before blood donors were advised to rebook their appointments.
On September 9th, the day after the Queen’s death, Cardiff resident and PhD student Hannah Baird was informed by WalesBlood that their September 14th blood donation appointment at the City Hall clinic was cancelled. The text, seen by voice.wales, informed them that the venue was being used for a book of condolence.
Baird told voice.wales, “I’ve been donating for a while, but I got quite serious about doing my bit after my uncle needed blood transfusions after his pancreatic cancer diagnosis- I’m trying to give back and help others the same way some people helped my uncle.”
Earlier this year, the Welsh Blood Service urged people to become blood donors during National Blood Donor Week. More than 350 blood donations are needed every day across Wales.
“The cancellation did annoy me,” says Baird. “I’m not entirely unfeeling, the Queen meant a lot to some people […] and they should be allowed to mourn her if they want, but not when it gets in the way of essential things like blood donations.
After voice.wales contacted Cardiff Council for comment, a council spokesperson said:
“After discussion with the Welsh Blood Service, an alternative venue has been confirmed for the blood donation clinic due to take place at City Hall on September 13th and 14th. Donations can now be made this week at nearby St Peter’s RFC, enabling City Hall to host a Book of Condolences following the death of HM The Queen. We thank the Welsh Blood Service for their support and would encourage anybody who had been planning to give blood at City Hall to rebook their appointment by visiting www.welsh-blood.org.uk.”
Baird received a further text message from Welsh Blood Service on the 12th inviting them to rebook their appointment on the 13th – a different day to their original appointment. But Baird thinks the rebooked appointments, with changes in locations, dates and times, won’t suit everyone in the area and will negatively impact the take up of the life-saving service. “I have flexible work hours and work close by so can rebook my donation, but not everyone will be able to. The blood service is missing out on those vital donations.”
Various books of condolence were opened by councils across Wales. According to the government’s website, there are no physical books of condolence at Royal Residences, but members of the public can sign the Royal family website’s Book of Condolence online. Any organisation or person could open a book of condolence during the period of National Mourning and suggestions from the the gov.uk website include a a trestle table with a white tablecloth and flowers (“usually lilies”) with a “framed formal photograph of Her Majesty.” The website also says that “As a mark of respect, a black ribbon could be wrapped around the top right hand corner” of the Queen’s photograph.
Cardiff Council posted images of several books of condolence to its social media pages and other images online show tables in City Hall draped in red table cloths with flowers and photos of the queen. The books were opened by Rt Hon Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Graham Hinchey and council leader Cllr Huw Thomas and remained open for the public until 5pm on the day of the State funeral.
A national period of mourning saw wider cancellations and rearrangements that affected people across Wales. Earlier this month, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board announced that it would postpone a number of pre-arranged appointments and operations, whilst the majority of urgent operations and procedures would go ahead.
On the day of the Queen’s state funeral, Cardiff Council made changes to its service that included the closure of schools, day centers, libraries, and leisure centers.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Blood Service told voice.wales: “We work closely with hundreds of venues across Wales. It is rare, but we do need to make appointment changes from time to time.
“Thanks to the support from our donors and our venue contacts at City Hall and St Peter’s RFC, we were able to minimise the impact of the venue change. Blood stocks are currently in a healthy position.
“Please consider donating, particularly if you’ve never given blood before, now is a great time to join our lifesaving team.”
Baird was able to donate blood on September 13th, but ultimately they are disappointed in Cardiff Council’s decision: “It just doesn’t feel like it’s in the spirit of things- the idealised “country coming together and helping each other out” that they’ve been on about on the telly.”
Anyone interested in registering as a blood donor through Welsh Blood Service can learn more at https://welsh-blood.org.uk/
