Do you still get a cup of tea at the blood donor centre?

[Rae36]

I'm going today for the first time since December and am wondering if I should take my own tea and biscuit

Oh! I not thought of that, the lady doing the teas thinks I'm joking when I tell her the only reason I give blood is because someone makes me a cup of tea I'm not

Not tea, but they do offer squash. And biscuits, or totally healthy crisps

I went a few weeks ago and it was soft drinks only but still a good choice of biscuits!

I agree @Regulus
The tea is one of the main attractions. Oh well, Maybe I'll take my own and sit on a park bench outside.

I remember them telling me they don't give hot drinks to first timers but after that, you can have tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Sadly my planned donation this month has been cancelled, I was looking forward to some Biscoff!

I donated in June at a donor centre and it was business as usual - tea, biscuits and crisps all round! Everyone wore masks, until you got to tea drinking.

We had to queue outside for half an hour on a blisteringly hot day so wear suncream.

They were not allowed to serve tea when I went this last time, in June, only soft drinks in disposable cups. Less touching cups/milk/urns for the staff I guess? Not really sure, as they still had to pour squash out of bottles.

I went yesterday and was told to hang onto my cup I was given for water as I'd need it after my donation because they weren't giving out tea and coffee.
Unfortunately though I failed the initial blood test with a reading of 94 so didn't even get a biscuit!

The place I went last had its own hot drinks machine, it was pre covid though so maybe the rules are different.

I don't think so. I'm sure ours had squash this time.

You could take a thermos of tea and drink it outside?

Just squash (lemon or orange) and a choice of a penguin, club, crisps or individually wrapped biscuits like you get on a hotel tea tray!

I’m afraid I didn’t check if they had hot drinks, but I have given during CV and I had a cold drink in a disposable cup, and was offered snacks.
They spaced the waiting area out. It is a slightly unusual social experience in normal times, but even more surreal sitting spaced out with strangers.

Just squash and crisps in early June. I was one of the last appointments but the biscuit game was way under usual par too. Think only plain digestives left. I also had to move donation centres as the churches of the Latter Day Saints don’t allow caffeine on site. While I appreciate them opening up their facility, AIBU to get a cup of tea after literally bleeding for the cause (Light hearted, no disrespect meant)

Newname I use different centres and the snack availability does vary a lot between places. Before Covid all always used to offer tea/coffee and water/squash and some snack choice.
When I first started to donate ?1990? I could use a proper permanent centre where they also did the special white blood donations. That centre had a full kitchen, would offer a corned beef sandwiches, even a half pint of Guinness. I moved house so I don’t know how much of that still exists...

Just squash here too when I went last month. I did get my orange Club though, which is my only reason for going! 😂😂

I gave blood in Glasgow once when I was working up there. I much prefer their Tunnock's offerings post-donation!

I take my own bottle of water, not risking anything served by anyone else at the moment, even if it's disposable cups etc - they're still being handled by people.

When I went mid-July there was a full range of snacks and cold drinks. Not only that but the recuperation area was “full” so the nurse brought me over a selection to have in my donation chair. It practically felt like room service

Tea and a caramel wafer is my usual. I'll take my own tea and fingers crossed for the biscuits

I gave blood a couple of weeks ago, I'm in Scotland.

Instead of moving to a seating area like before we were asked to remain in the diner chair. They only offered cold drinks, not sure if that's because we didn't have a table rather than covid.

Other than that everything was the same apart from staff wearing masks.

I also only give blood for the great biscuits, it's the only time I get a Tunnock tea cake 😂

@chocdonuty

I went yesterday and was told to hang onto my cup I was given for water as I'd need it after my donation because they weren't giving out tea and coffee. Unfortunately though I failed the initial blood test with a reading of 94 so didn't even get a biscuit!

That was me last time too. If that's happened before I've been able to at least have a cuppa and a biscuit while waiting for dh but because of Covid I just had to unceremoniously shuffle out and loiter on a bench outside. I missed my Lotus biscuits!

I donated a few weeks ago. There was no tea just cold drinks. But plenty of biscuits and crisps.

I can report back that there were no hot drinks but plenty of biscuits. No crisps though, I've never seen crisps. I must be going to a lower class of donation centre. They said that there was a plan even before covid to stop the hot drinks anyway because they were too time consuming for staff and people were staying for too long and eating too many biscuits!

We get Seabrooks crisps. Never had a Tunnocks teacake though