THREE members of the Launceston community have been awarded with a special recognition after they have donated more than 100 pints of blood each.

Vivienne Daniel, Janet Crossman and Gerald Thorne have been donating blood for years and have been awarded with a medal and certificate from the NHS Blood and Transplant group, in recognition of their ‘amazing generosity’.

Vivienne has been donating since 1964, since she was 20 years old and has donated a total of 106 pints. She explained the reason she has been committed to ‘giving’ for so long: “I just thought it was a good thing to do. As long as I’ve been fit and healthy, I have always wanted to. I would recommend it to anyone that can, especially young people!”

Gerald, who has donated 101 pints, starting when he was 18, added: “I was persuaded to start donating by my mother. I have donated as much as possible, the only times I haven’t were on a couple of occasions when my blood levels weren’t as high as they’d have liked, but I would wait and then come back another day.”

Similarly, Janet — who has given 105 pints — has also been donating since she was 18 and said: “It doesn’t cost anything, so why not?”

The NHS Blood and Transplant group said: “We need new blood donors from all backgrounds to ensure there is the right blood available for patients who need it.”

They need nearly 400 new donors a day to meet demand, as well as around 135,000 new donors a year to replace those who can no longer donate.

Most people from ages 16 to 65 are able to donate blood. To see the full list of requirements visit www.blood.co.uk/who-can-give-blood or call 0300 1232323.

The next opportunity to give blood in the Post area will be at Launceston Rugby Club, Polson Bridge, on Monday, July 1.

To find out when you can give blood at other local venues, visit www.my.blood.co.uk