People living in Herefordshire are being encouraged by NHS Blood and Transplant to commit to saving lives by registering as new blood donors during the Missing Type campaign.

NHS Blood and Transplant is joining 25 blood donor organisations across 21 countries to highlight an almost 30% international drop in people becoming blood donors last year compared to a decade ago.

The number of people becoming donors and giving blood for the first time in England decreased by 24.4% in 2015 compared to 2005.

NHS Blood and Transplant – which first held Missing Type in England and North Wales in 2015 – is now leading the campaign for new blood donors to ensure blood donation for future generations.

Last year, 3,232 people in Herefordshire gave blood at least once. New blood donors are crucial for ensuring there is the right mix of blood groups available to meet patient needs in the years to come. There is a particular need for more young blood donors and more black and Asian donors.

Half of all donors in England are over 45 so it’s important younger people are recruited. Last year, 10.1% of donors in Herefordshire were aged 17-24, and 61% were aged 45 or over.

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, the service that collects, tests and processes blood for hospitals across England, said: “Blood donation is an amazing gift and transfusions save lives in Herefordshire every day. Whether it is patients receiving treatment for cancer, blood disorders, after accidents or during surgery, or new mums who lost blood in childbirth, blood is an absolutely essential part of modern healthcare.

“Thanks to the generosity of our current donors, hospitals have the blood needed to treat patients and there is not a crisis in blood stocks.”

Donating blood should take no more than an hour and each donation can save or improve up to three lives.

To sign up as a new donor, visit: www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.