The challenge pitted six primary schools around Orange to get teachers, parents and family – as many people over the age of 18 as possible – donating blood to tally for each school. 

The Orange Public School community won the challenge, with 83 donations saving the equivalent of 239 lives from August 1 to December 31 2017.  

The five other schools which took part were Calare Public School, Bletchington Public School, St Marys Catholic Primary School, Orange East Public School and Anson Street School, but the Red Cross are hoping more schools will jump on-board. 

Red Cross NSW/ACT community relations office John Friest said events like the Billy Blood Drop Challenge were integral to getting people involved. 

“These challenges are great at getting people to start donating who might not have donated previously and then once we’ve got them started donating they can be re-booked again,” Mr Friest said.

“Local challenges like this are brilliant at being the spark to get people donating.”

Parent Karen Robinson is a big supporter of the challenge and the Red Cross – her youngest son required a bone marrow transplant before his second birthday. 

“It’s nice – I’ve got my kids and other kids who come up to me and say when they get old enough they want to be blood donors as well.”