0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Are you ready for our Ouch! Snips? - Snip-snip!- Ouch!- Exactly!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Is it enough blood to fill approximately...
0:00:25 > 0:00:29That's around 23,000 litres of blood.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31SIREN WAILS
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Blood - if you're sick and you need it, nothing else will do.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39The tricky bit is there's only one way of getting hold of blood -
0:00:39 > 0:00:41taking it out of people. People like me.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Around 4,000 litres of blood are used
0:00:43 > 0:00:46in hospitals all over England every day.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48It's vital for life-saving treatments
0:00:48 > 0:00:52and that's why donations are so important.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I'm just about to insert a needle into your arm, Xand.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Yep, so that's in. And, actually, it really didn't hurt at all.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01You feel a bit of a scratch and it's not a very nice idea,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04but Linda's a real expert, so it's completely fine.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07You're doing really well there. It's all up and going.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08There it is, filling up.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Your body is actually a blood factory.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14It's constantly making new blood.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17But it makes it in a place you might not expect -
0:01:17 > 0:01:20in the middle of your bones.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Our bodies can produce two million red blood cells every second.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26That's incredible!
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I'm donating about half a litre of blood,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31the equivalent of almost two cans of fizzy drink.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36That's around 13% of the blood circulating around my body.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38That's me done, and it only took five minutes.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41That's going to come out now, OK? Well done.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Just keep pressure on there for us. OK, that's lovely.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48- Thank you very much. - It's been a pleasure.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52This is a bag of my blood, and sometime in the next 35 days,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55it's going to be put inside someone else, possibly saving their life.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58But it can't go straight into them.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01First, it's got to go to the blood factory.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This is the largest blood factory in the world, and we're going in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12I've never seen anything like this.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Behind me are 800 bags of live human blood. Whaa!
0:02:17 > 0:02:213,000 bags of blood arrive in this factory every day.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But before it's sent to the hospitals, the donated blood
0:02:24 > 0:02:27is separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Once it's separated out, the blood is tested
0:02:30 > 0:02:33to make sure it's not carrying any infections or diseases,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36and also sorted into the different blood types.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40These are the final products of this massive blood factory -
0:02:40 > 0:02:44thousands of bags of living human blood, including mine,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47all going out to save lives.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50And when this blood is needed urgently in an emergency,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54hospitals need a fast and reliable delivery service.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55This is Peter Woodsford.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57He's a safety officer by day
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and is a volunteer in a motorbike blood-delivery service by night.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05And this evening, he's letting me and you come along for the ride.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08This does involve some waiting around,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11but when a call comes in, it's time to swing into action.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- Peter Woodsford. - So we're heading off.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I've got my camera with me and you're coming, too.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Blood needs to go from the blood bank at King's Hospital in London
0:03:22 > 0:03:25to Kent and Canterbury Hospital 60 miles away,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28where it's needed as quickly as possible.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30So the volunteer drivers have set up a relay system,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33with us doing the last leg.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34We're now driving to the meeting point,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37where we'll pick up the blood. So far, so good.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I can see why Peter chose this, it's really good.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It's very important, life-saving work, but it is good fun.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Here we go, and the blood has arrived.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Part of this delivery is needed urgently
0:03:48 > 0:03:49for a patient who has become anaemic.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52They need the blood to boost their red blood cells
0:03:52 > 0:03:55so they can take more oxygen around their body.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So stage two of the journey begins.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59We have to get to the hospital
0:03:59 > 0:04:01to help the patient as soon as possible.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04All through the night, up and down the country,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07other volunteer bikers like Pete are doing the same thing
0:04:07 > 0:04:10and helping people in desperate need.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12The finish line is in sight.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Time to drop this blood off at the hospital.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18It's been a hectic night, but we got the blood here on time.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21What a privilege it's been to take part in what is literally
0:04:21 > 0:04:24the lifeblood of the health care system.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27What's amazing about this is I've given people blood as a doctor
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and I'd absolutely no idea of the journey it has to go on.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33The amount of people like Pete who give up their time and energy
0:04:33 > 0:04:37to do this thing, which is so important in saving lives.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39It's a really amazing job.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Thanks, Pete.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- See you next time! - Bye!- Bye!- Bye!- Bye!- Bye!
0:04:45 > 0:04:47By-y-y-y-y-ye!
0:04:47 > 0:04:50THEY MOUTH "BYE"