Metallica urge fans to step-up and donate blood ahead of UK tour

US heavy metal band Metallica have teamed up with the Welsh Blood Service ahead of their UK tour this summer, to encourage fans to donate blood and plasma.

Metallica will perform in the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on 28 June. Dedicated blood donation sessions will run across Wales during the week before and after the concert.

A spokesperson for Metallica said: "Wherever we go on tour, we want to give something meaningful back to the communities that welcome us. Looking out for one another and supporting those who rely on donated blood every day is a simple act that can make a powerful difference."

Alan Prosser, of the Welsh Blood Service, called it "a unique moment" for UK blood donation.

As well as working with the Welsh Blood Service, the band are working with England's NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to co-ordinate with dates at Glasgow's Hampden Park and London.

It marks the first time the heavy metal veterans have collaborated with UK blood services, but follows a similar drive in the US and Australia.

The band's spokesperson said: "We've seen in the United States and Australia how working with blood services can help raise awareness of blood donation and support patients and we're excited to bring that same approach to the UK.

"As we close out the European leg of the M72 World Tour in the UK, we're asking fans to step up and be part of something bigger."

All Within My Hands, a charitable foundation created by Metallica, has proactively encouraged new and existing blood donors to come forward throughout the band's M72 world tour.

A concert in Philadelphia saw US fans donate 152 units of blood.

Andrew Harris, from the Welsh Blood Service, told BBC Radio Wales how the collaboration came about.

"There's a lot of fans in the Welsh Blood Service of Metallica, it turns out," he explained, describing how a colleague, James, came into the office and said "'wouldn't it be great if we worked with Metallica?'"

"I told him, 'that's a brilliant idea... let me know how it gets on'.

"He found the charity and here we are - it's happening!

"We actually found out about this because of the success of a similar promotion in the United States and Australia"

"It's lead to thousands of people donating blood, that may or may not think about donating, which is what's really important about this partnership."

"It's really important we keep a steady supply."

UK blood services have highlighted the constant need for blood, which has a shelf-life of only 35 days.

Donors are vital for securing a steady supply of blood for cancer patients, new mothers, those living with long-term conditions such as sickle cell disease, as well as during emergencies.

Prosser, director of the Welsh Blood Service, said: "This is a truly unique moment for blood donation across the UK.

"Partnering with a band of Metallica's global reach allows us to connect with new audiences and shine a spotlight on the ongoing need for blood.

"Just as metal music runs strongly through Metallica fans' veins, so does the blood which gives the power to save up to three lives with every donation."