I REMEMBER the first time I did it.

I was at university in Edinburgh and, waiting between classes, decided to nip to Lauriston Place and donate blood.

It was not something any of my fellow students had done and I’m not sure what possessed me to do it.

Growing up, my dad was unable to give blood due to high blood pressure and although my mum and brother had given blood, I was never taken along.

Most of my breaks at university were spent in the library (honest!), so venturing off campus to give blood was not something I did every day.

Going to the blood donor centre, I was not sure what to expect, although I was informed you got biscuits afterwards, which may have swung my decision!

I remember questions on a form, getting my iron levels tested – a relatively painless jab to the finger – and then getting the green light to give blood.

The nurse asked what I did for a living. At that time, I worked part-time in the DIY section of a national hardware and garden centre chain.

I explained to her I was regularly lifting bags of cement and sheets of timber. . . probably not what you are meant to be doing after giving blood!

Fast-forward to the present day and I gave blood last month at Dunbar Grammar School.

Taking into account I was only there for an hour or so, there was probably somewhere towards 50 people giving or waiting to give blood on the night.

While I was there, one of the nurses asked a small girl if she was going to give blood. The youngster replied she could not because she had leukaemia.

I’m no medical expert – although I’ve watched plenty of episodes of Casualty in my time – and I don’t know if my blood would be of any use to her. But at the same time, if my blood could help someone then it has to be worth it.

Everybody is busy but all it takes is roughly an hour out of one day every three months or so.

You could be saving a son, a daughter, a sister, a brother, a niece, nephew, grandchild, mum or dad or anyone else, and all through just a simple gesture.

I’m definitely not someone who thinks of themselves as inspirational. But if this article inspires someone to give blood it is well worth it for a simple reason – you could be saving a life.