New blood donors are needed in '˜top town'

The last blood donation session held in Larne attracted 126 people, including 11 new donors and 107 units of blood were taken.

The NI Blood Transfusion Service will be at First Larne Presbyterian Church Hall on Wednesday, August 8. New,lapsed and frequent donors will be welcomed 1.30pm – 4.00pm and 5.30pm – 8.00pm.

Larne Rotary has been working in partnership with the Transfusion Service for years to promote donation. As a result of their combined efforts the town tops the province’s donation league table.

Commending Larne people for their support, Rotarian John Shannon said he hopes more will come along to the donation session especially young people. He added: “Giving blood is easy, it takes only one hour of your time and can literally save a life.”

The Blood Transfusion Service stated: “When blood is donated it has a shelf life of only a few days and is used in hospitals all over Northern Ireland in operations, child birth, road accidents and sometimes in the treatment of cancer. Regular donors are sometimes excluded from giving blood because they are on certain medications, or have had an operation themselves, or had a holiday in certain parts of the world, or are over 70, because of this new donors are needed all the time.”