SINGAPORE - Notice anything different about the entrance signs outside the Singapore Botanic Gardens?

The Singapore National Parks Board (NParks) has removed the letters A, B and O from the Gardens' entrance signs as a show of support for the International Missing Type Campaign.

This can be seen at the Gardens' entrance gates in Nassim, Tanglin and Bukit Timah.

The campaign, which runs from Aug 16 to 21, seeks to raise public awareness of the importance of blood donations amid dwindling numbers of first-time donors, and hopes to encourage individuals to participate by donating blood.

The campaign was first organised by the NHS Blood and Transplant in England and North Wales during National Blood Week in 2015.

Brands, organisations and influencers across England and North Wales removed the letters A, B, and O from their websites, signages and online profiles in show of support for the campaign.

The movement was a massive success. Over 30,000 people registered to donate blood due to the huge amount of support and media coverage that the campaign received.

The campaign has now gone global.

Along with Singapore, a number of countries including the United States, Brazil and South Africa will also be participating in the campaign, which was officially launched worldwide on Aug 16.

In the US, organisations such as the Hard Rock Cafe and Morgan Stanley are among those taking part in the movement.

According to Red Cross Singapore, more than 400 units of blood are needed to meet the transfusion needs of patients in a day.

This demand is set to increase by 3 to 5 per cent each year due to the nation's ageing population and expanding healthcare facilities.

It encourages healthy individuals who meet all the requirements needed to be a donor to head down to their nearest blood bank to donate.

For more information, those interested can go to the Red Cross website or call its hotline 6220 0183 to learn more.