Three activities at one venue

A great deal happens on Blood Drive Saturday which takes place every six to eight weeks at Midrand Circles Market.

Three activities take place at the same time – the Midrand circles small business retail market, the Midrand car boot sale, and the Sanbs Blood Drive.

On January 22, it was a busy day with more than 350 visitors. Visitors return each week as they love to browse the variety of ever-changing stalls.

According to Margaret Melville, an organiser of the Circles Market, 26 stalls offered arts and crafts, educational toys and gifts, diamond dot art, jewellery, wooden items, custom mugs, bath products, fabric shopping bags and T-shirts.

“There were fresh flowers, a variety of food, sauces, biscuits, biltong, fruit, and vegetables as well as plants and trees. If you are looking for a haircut, Dino’s Cut and Go does an amazing job,” Melville said.

The car boot sale is a popular event in the area, and visitors come from far and wide to find bargains. The 18 ‘booters’ brought lots of things that they no longer needed such as small household items. “This is not a second-hand clothes outlet,” Melville added.

Members of the community and surrounding areas love this venue because they can do their shopping, have a bite to eat, and donate blood all at the same time.

Local charities sell their goods in spaces provided by the market as community projects are important to them.

“We would love visitors to donate any unwanted items that they might have when they visit the market. If you have used spectacles and hearing aids we collect them for the Mercy Foundation. This week 20 pints of blood were donated to the Sanbs Blood Drive.

“One seldom considers what goes on behind the scenes to make a blood drive possible. We consider ourselves privileged to be associated with the Sanbs.”

Melville said on the day, eight people were involved in the various facets required for the blood drive to happen, and so many more were behind the scenes.

“We are in awe of their efficiency as this is such an enormous task, yet they appear to do it with ease.”
The next Sanbs Blood Drive will be on March 19 from 09:00 to 14:00 at Midrand Circles Market, 118 Allan Road, Glen Austin A/H, Midrand.

Related Article:

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/298277/help-boost-blood-donations/