Blood service ‘alarmed’ by donor decrease

Just 14 per cent of people who donate regularly are under 30, while more than two-thirds are over 40, according to figures from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

There were 297,539 donors aged 17 to 34 in 2001, dropping to 237,520 now.

About 200,000 blood donors of all ages drop off the register every year.

NHSBT, backed by a number of celebrities, is calling for 10,000 people to “make a date to donate”.

Its poll, released to co-incide with World Blood Donor Day, found young people are “too busy” to donate or are frightened of the procedure.

The NHS needs 7,000 units of donated blood daily for many procedures, including surgery, to treat cancer, blood disorders and in difficult childbirths.

Jon Latham, assistant director of blood donation at NHSBT, said thousands of lives are saved every year thanks to donors.

He said: “We want to remind everyone that blood donation is one of the simplest ways you can save or improve a life – just one unit of blood can save the life of three adults or seven babies, and you can start donating from the age of 17.

“We also want to take the opportunity to thank our current donors for the invaluable contribution their donations make to saving lives and to ensuring blood stocks meet hospital demands.

“However three-quarters of people who have ever given blood last donated over two years ago, so we’re also keen to emphasise the need to give blood on a regular basis, to help replace the 15 per cent of donors who leave the register each year.”

Just four per cent of the UK population are active blood donors. People can give blood every 16 weeks, or three times a year.

Actress Kym Marsh and TV presenters Gary Lineker and Kate Thornton are backing the campaign.

Others who have pledged to give blood include singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, TV presenter Jenny Frost, actress Jill Halfpenny, Dancing On Ice star Jayne Torvill and DJ Sara Cox.