Dracula’s Thirst Takes a Twist: Pendennis Castle Joins Halloween Blood Drive

Discover Your Blood Type This Halloween

Visitors to Pendennis Castle this Halloween will have the chance to uncover something truly spine-tingling: their own blood type. On 31st October, English Heritage is partnering with NHS Blood and Transplant to hand out free blood type self-testing kits at selected sites across the country, including Pendennis Castle in Falmouth.

The campaign aims to raise awareness and encourage new donors to help boost vital blood supplies. The NHS needs nearly 5,000 donations every day to support patients and hospitals across England. Right now, there’s a particular need for more donors with O negative and B negative blood types, as well as more donors of Black heritage, to help sickle cell patients who rely on ethnically matched blood.

“Not Just Dracula Who Needs Your Blood”

English Heritage’s Regional Partnership Manager and resident Dracula expert Mark Williamson said:

“Our Halloween events always bring history to life in thrilling ways – and this year, we’re proud to add a life-saving twist. Whitby Abbey, forever linked with Dracula, makes the perfect backdrop for our partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant. It’s not just Dracula who needs your blood this Halloween – it could be your Mum, son, best-friend, or any of us. We hope that at the same time as enjoying deliciously chilling Halloween fun, visitors across all our participating sites will be inspired to find out their blood type and consider becoming a donor so that the NHS can continue to supply lifesaving blood needed by seriously ill patients.”

Sites Taking Part

Alongside Pendennis Castle, other participating English Heritage locations include:

• Whitby Abbey

• Dover Castle

• Eltham Palace

• Audley End House and Gardens

• Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Gardens

Visitors will be asked to use the self-testing kits at home. The kits require a small drop of blood and a litmus-style card to show a person’s likely blood type in around five minutes. Only lab testing can confirm a person’s blood type, and new donors will have theirs confirmed after their first donation.

A Call for Life-Saving Donors

Altaf Kazi, Assistant Director of Partnerships at NHS Blood and Transplant, said:

“This Halloween, Dracula is not the only one on the hunt for blood. Across the country, we’re teaming up with English Heritage to seek out those with vital, life-saving blood types like O negative and B negative which are both urgently needed right now. A quick finger prick test could reveal your blood type and start your journey as a real lifesaver. Giving blood takes around an hour, and each donation can save up to three people. And as every vampire knows, every drop counts!”

Why Blood Type Testing Matters

• Fewer than 50% of people in the UK know their blood type

• Only around 3% of eligible adults donate blood

• Blood only lasts 35 days, meaning supplies must be constantly replenished

• The NHS particularly needs young donors and those of Black heritage

There are currently over 60,000 appointments available at donor centres across the UK over the next six weeks. To find out more or to book an appointment, visit www.blood.co.uk.

The Connection Between Dracula and Blood

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, written in 1897, included one of the earliest fictional depictions of blood transfusion. In the novel, characters including Dr. Seward and Van Helsing perform transfusions to save Lucy Westenra, long before blood typing was discovered in 1901. Stoker’s use of transfusion reflected early medical experimentation and was remarkably forward-thinking for its time.

English Heritage, which cares for over 400 historic sites across England, brings history to life for more than 10 million people each year.

For more information about English Heritage sites, visit www.english-heritage.org.uk