The Platelet Society has been formed through the coming together of
The UK Platelet Group and The Platelet Charity.

A brief history of each organisation can be found below:

UK Platelet Group
The UK Platelet Group was an informal alliance of scientific research groups in the UK who shared a focus on platelet-related diseases. The The first meeting of the UK Platelet Group was held in Oxford in 1998 and attracted over 70 people. Since then , the meetings have grown in size with ever increasing numbers from the UK and overseas. The meetings were held annually across the UK until 2012 when it moved to a two year cycle. 

The main features of the UK Platelet meetings was its focus on supporting early career researchers, including students, its inexpensive registration and other costs, to encourage wide participation. 

The meetings have been generously supported by industrial sponsors, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the British Society for Haemostasis and Thrombosis (BSHT). 

The UK Platelet Summer School established in 2001 by the BSHT through the proceeds of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostatis (ISTH). It is aimed at PhD students and postdoctoral fellows who are new to the field. The aim is to give an overview of all aspects of platelet research, from basic to the clinic. The meetings have included meet-the-expert sessions and small group discussions of how to write a grant etc. The number of participants ranges from 40 – 60. The meetings have been held at approximately 3 year intervals, again with generous support from BHF, BSHT and industrial sponsors.. The first four were organised by Prof Steve Watson (University of Birmingham)and the last by Prof Jon Gibbins (University of Reading). The summer schools are a fantastic way to build a cohort and to train the next generation of platelet researchers and emphasis the UK Platelet Group’s commitment to supporting early career researchers. . 

UK Platelet Charity (Registered Charity : 1151168)
The remit of the Platelet Charity (original name Funny Blood) was to increase awareness of platelet function disorders (and not just bleeding). It did this by running a web-site and other social media channels, producing fact sheets, funding small pump-priming grants and organising fund-raising events in the Wiltshire/Hampshire/Worcestershire area. The Charity was in existence between 2013-2017. The charity reformed as The Platelet Society in 2017 following the merger with the UK Platelet Group. This brings together everyone from patients to clinicians to scientists, to fully support all research and education in platelet-related diseases.