If you're one of those people who's always meaning to give blood, now might be the perfect time to roll up your sleeve. The Australian Red Cross Blood Service needs 99,000 new donors, so it's hosting Australia's first 24-hour donate-a-thon — with some bloody great incentives to get you through the door.
A CBD donor centre in Sydney's Town Hall will be open for 24 hours from 7pm on Thursday, June 13 through to 7pm on Friday, June 14 (aka World Blood Donor Day). To encourage you to donate, there'll be live music, live magic and free food. Oh, and you'll be helping to save up to three lives.
We all know it's important to have a bite to eat after giving blood, and for once it'll be more than just a cookie and a party pie. Chef Nelly Robinson (of the CBD's lauded Nel.) will be serving salmon pies, gourmet sausage rolls and an especially fancy spiced carrot cake with mandarin sorbet and yoghurt foam. And Gelato Messina has whipped up a new flavour just for the occasion — blood orange cheesecake gelato with red velvet cake and raspberry puree. How very fitting.