Sickle Cell Society

We're looking for a new Chair for our Board of Trustees. If you, or someone you know would be perfect for this role, see below to view/share the microsite and apply!

Join Us for a Celebration in Brixton 🎉 NHS Blood and Transplant is hosting "For The Love: Celebrating Culture, Community, and Life-Saving Blood Donation" – an event celebrating Black culture on Sunday, 26th January at Brixton House (SW9 8GL). What’s Happening: - 🎶 Music by Cultur.FM - 🍴 Food from Black Eats LDN - 🎨 Art by : Art Meets Culture and Akanji Studios - Talks from inspiring guest speakers This free event highlights the importance of blood donation and raises awareness of Sickle Cell, a condition affecting many in the African and Caribbean community. We’re also celebrating the opening of the new Brixton Blood Donor Centre, a vital step for improving health outcomes. Help Us Make a Difference Our goal is to register 200 new Black heritage blood donors to support those living with Sickle Cell. Bring your friends and family and help spread the word. Date: Sunday, 26th January Location: Brixton House, SW9 8GL Booking: https://buff.ly/4jicLTm Come celebrate, learn, and contribute to this important cause. ❤️ #ForTheLove #BloodDonation #SickleCellAwareness

Lead and inspire as a Lead Mentor in our Sickle Cell Children & Young Persons’ Peer Mentoring Programme! Support young people (10-24) with Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) in North East London by delivering mentoring sessions, organizing group activities, and managing a team of mentors to empower and improve their health, wellbeing, and confidence. We particularly encourage male mentors to apply, as many young male mentees benefit greatly from having relatable role models who understand their experiences. 📝 Apply by 5 PM, 29th January 2024! 💻 Interviews: w/c 3rd February (via Zoom/Teams). 🔗 Find out more and apply: Email : mentors@sicklecellsociety.org with ‘Lead Mentor Application’ in the subject line. #Hiring #SickleCellAwareness #MentorOpportunity #HealthcareJobs #MaleMentorsNeeded

📣 Have Your Say on Sickle Cell Research! We want to know what matters most to YOU in sickle cell and genomics research. Take our survey and help shape the future by telling us what questions you think research should answer. 💬 Click here https://buff.ly/41rgyax to participate and make your voice heard. Together, we can drive meaningful change! #SickleCellPSP #GenomicsResearch #HaveYourSay

🎓 Are you a student ready to prioritise your well-being? Join us for Unite for Life, an interactive wellness workshop at the University of Manchester Student’s Union on Monday, 3rd February, 6:00–9:00 PM Hosted by @givebloodspreadlove in partnership with University of Manchester’s African & Caribbean Medical Society @uom_acms and @themelaninmoods This event is all about empowering you to nurture your body, mind, and spirit while addressing the crucial topics of nutrition, mental health, physical wellness, and blood donation in the Black community. 🌟 What’s in store? - Interactive workshops on balanced nutrition, mental health, and physical wellness. - Education on sickle cell disorder and the life-saving role of blood donation. - Insights from expert speakers, including nutritionist Ashleigh Simpson, Physiotherapist Dominick Williams and CBT therapists from Melanin Moods. - Mindfulness sessions to relieve stress and enhance clarity. - Networking with peers passionate about health and wellness! 💡 Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in yourself and your community. Grab your free ticket on Eventbrite! https://buff.ly/425DL2e #UniteForLife #GiveBloodSpreadLove #BloodDonation #SickleCell #Wellness #Manchester

We are delighted to offer our sincere congratulations, and share in the celebration of two of our incredible supporters who have been recognised in the 2025 New Years Honours list. Matilda Asante-Owusu (Matty) MBE Matty, a dedicated Sickle Cell Community Matron, who has also volunteered for us in the past, has been awarded an MBE for her exceptional services to patients with sickle cell disorder. With a career spanning 36 years in the NHS, Matty shown her dedication to quality care for individuals living with sickle cell, becoming the first-ever Sickle Cell Community Matron. Matty has been instrumental in setting up support groups for patients, and her holistic approach has made a lasting impact on the lives of patients and their families. Reflecting on her award, Matty said: “My patients are at the heart of everything I do. This recognition is a step forward in raising awareness of the challenges they face and the importance of addressing them.” Dame Marie Gabriel DBE Marie Gabriel, Chair of NHS North East London, has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). With over 45 years of service dedicated to health, equity, and social justice, Dame Marie has shown her deep commitment to addressing health inequalities. As the founding Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, she has led efforts to improve healthcare outcomes for underserved communities. Dame Marie said: “This honour reflects the achievements and contributions of the organisations, communities, and people I work with. I will continue working tirelessly to improve health outcomes and equity for all.” We are immensely proud of Matty and Dame Marie for their dedication to, and passion for improving health outcomes for people living with sickle cell disorder. Please join us in congratulating them on these well-deserved honours! #SickleCellAwareness #sicklecell

🌟 New Year, New Discoveries! 🌟 As we step into 2025, we invite you to embrace the new—whether it’s exploring a show, embarking on a career, picking up a hobby, or traveling to a new country. Let’s make this year a celebration of growth, exploration, and fresh adventures! Reflecting on 2024, we were deeply inspired by remarkable talents making meaningful strides in raising awareness about Sickle Cell. As we move into the new year, let’s take a moment to celebrate and discover these amazing creatives shaping the space. 🎨 Akanji Studios – An emerging artist whose work beautifully captures his experiences with Sickle Cell. Don’t miss his exhibition at the Swiss Cottage Gallery, on display until January 15th! 🎙️ Dialectic Dee – A spoken word artist giving a voice to the voiceless, connecting deeply with the Sickle Cell community through her powerful storytelling. 🎶 Astar – A rapper whose popular Sickle Cell awareness hit, Hidden Pain, resonates deeply with shared experiences in the community. 🖌️ Laurel B – A seasoned artist in the awareness space, Laurel’s work inspires others and shows that anything is possible. 📽️ Rapman – Creator of Supacell, one of the first mainstream media representations of Sickle Cell. His work has sparked meaningful conversations and opened doors for awareness. We thank these talented individuals for their creativity and for showing the world that Sickle Cell doesn’t stop you from chasing your dreams. Here’s to a 2025 filled with inspiration and impact. Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂 #SickleCellAwareness #NewYearNewDiscoveries #CelebrateGrowth

🎄✨ Wishing our incredible community a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! This year has brought both challenges and moments of joy, and we’re so grateful for your continued support. 💛 As we wrap up the year, here’s a special message from our CEO, John James, reflecting on 2024 and looking ahead to an even brighter 2025. Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to growth, resilience, and togetherness in the year to come! 🥂 #MerryChristmas #HappyNewYear #CommunityMatters #SickleCellAwareness

The festive season can be joyful but also challenging for mental health. 💛 This Christmas, we’re highlighting these incredible organizations supporting the Black community in different ways to bring each other together : ✨ Black Mind Matter ✨ SOAK Foundation ✨ BAATN ✨ ADHD BABES ✨ The Motherhood Group Let’s uplift and support mental well-being together! 🎄💛 #BlackMentalHealth #SupportThisChristmas #CommunityCare

📺 Tune In to BBC One’s Casualty Christmas Special! 🎄 On 21st December at 21:40, Casualty will air a special episode that highlights an important cause: blood donation. ❤️ Look out for a familiar face in this special episode! We hope this inspires the community to reflect on the life-saving impact of donating blood. After watching, let us know if you were inspired to take action! For more information and related posts about blood donation, check out @givebloodspreadlove Together, we can make a difference. 🩸 #GiveBloodSpreadLove #BloodDonation #Casualty #BBCOne #MakeADifference