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

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Metallica urge fans to step-up and donate blood ahead of UK tour2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAmelia Shone-AdamsBBC WalesMat Hayward/Getty ImagesMetallica have joined forces with the Welsh Blood Service ahead of their UK tour this summerUS 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.

The Details

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. Allow Instagram content? This article contains content provided by Instagram .

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Accept and continue The is not responsible for the content of external sites. Instagram content may contain adverts. 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.

What Experts Say

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. Welsh Blood ServiceThe Welsh Blood Service are running blood donation sessions across Wales in the two weeks around their Cardiff concertAndrew Harris, from the Welsh Blood Service, told 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!

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.