For the second year running, MOBO Awards and NHS Blood and Transplant will be working together to drive new registrations of much-needed blood donors. This year, the campaign features the newly formed B positive choir.

Led by choirmaster Colin Anderson, the B Positive choir brings together people who live with sickle cell including their helpers, friends and families through music.

Members have come together from all over the country to highlight the need for new young donors to ensure future supplies and an urgent appeal for new black donors.

Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong condition. It is the most common and fastest growing genetic blood disorder in the UK and affects around 15,000 people. Although long-term treatment can help manage many of the problems associated with it, people who suffer from the disease rely on the kindness of blood donors to enable them to live their life and ultimately save their life.

Donors with a similar ethnic background provide the best match, limiting complications. We need more young people to come forward and donate blood and we urgently need more black people to donate to help those with sickle cell. We need 40,000 new black donors to ensure that we can supply the right types of blood to people with sickle cell.

The choir will perform at Africa on the Square on Saturday 14th October, at the MOBO Awards nominations launch on Tuesday 17th October, our 3rd annual pre-awards on Monday 20th November, and at the MOBO Awards on Wednesday 29th November.

MOBO Founder and CEO, Kanya King MBE said:

 “MOBO has always had a social and cultural responsibility to drive positive change, so we are proud to team up with NHS Blood and Transplant again to launch this vital campaign. “B Positive” has been created to raise awareness and encourage blood donation through the power of music and motivate a new generation to take action and get involved. We need more new donors from younger audiences and black communities to help ensure that patients can get the best possible treatment. “B Positive” is a positive rallying cry that we hope will win the hearts and minds of MOBO’s heartland audience, it really is about donating blood and saving lives.”

"We are urging more new people to come forward. Every day, we have to provide hospitals across the country with 6,000 life-saving blood donations and we need young people to get behind this campaign. You can make a difference in less than an hour, it doesn't hurt, you will find out if you have a rare blood type and you will even get a biscuit!"

Nadine Eaton, Head of Marketing at NHS BT

B Positive will be performing at a number of locations throughout the UK to further highlight the need for new blood donors. Follow the choir on our social channels.

If you would like to donate blood and save a life, while going about yours, please register here or download the NHSGiveBlood app.