THEY will willingly provide the sweat and the gears but, if everything goes according to plan, they will rely on others to donate the blood.
Over the course of five days, commencing on May 12, a dedicated group of 20 gardaí will undertake a gruelling 1,000-kilometre cycle that will bring them to all of the 26 counties.
The Garda Blood4Life 2014 Cycle is a novel charity event to help raise awareness as opposed to funds and their sole mission is to highlight the real need for blood donors in Killarney and other parts of the country.
To prepare for the energy-sapping marathon, a training cycle around the Ring of Kerry will take place this weekend with a number of local gardaí taking part.
Last year, the first Blood4Life Cycle generated 3,000 new donors – a full week’s supply – for the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and the target this year is a month’s supply.
The garda cycle team will ask the public to pledge a unit of blood on the IBTS website (www.giveblood.ie) or attend a local clinic and turn that pledge into a donation.
It is estimated that one in every four people will require a blood transfusion in their lifetime but only three per cent of the population are active donors which leads to regular shortages.
The IBTS currently needs to collect 3,000 donations a week to meet demand and to help save lives.
