Blood donors frustrated by lack of local sessions

There are 27 permanent donor centres in England, including seven in London and two in the West Midlands

People in Shropshire have said they are "very frustrated" by a campaign for more blood donors, as they are finding it near-impossible to find somewhere to donate themselves.

It comes as the NHS warned it continued to face a "challenging" blood shortage, and called for 200,000 new donors to sign up.

Ann from Wellington is close to donating 100 pints of blood, but said she "just can't see [the milestone] happening" as she cannot find anywhere nearby to donate.

NHS Blood and Transplant said it still hosted donation sessions in Shrewsbury and Telford, offering around 5,600 appointments per year.

There are 27 permanent donor centres in England, including seven in London alone and two in the West Midlands - Birmingham and Stoke.

The NHS's Give Blood website encourages potential donors to book appointments for these venues.

The Birmingham centre is closed on Sundays, and the Stoke facility does not open at all at the weekend.

Some would-be donors from Shropshire, particularly those with full-time jobs, have told the BBC this makes it difficult to donate.

'A bit miffed'

"I've been a blood donor for years and years," Ann, who did not want her surname to be used, told BBC Radio Shropshire.

She added that she previously donated blood regularly in Shifnal and Telford before sessions were cut.

"I just can't get an appointment locally," she said, noting that her last two appointments had been cancelled last-minute.

"I feel a bit miffed, basically."

Ann added that she felt "a bit annoyed" by the new calls for more donors when regular donors like her were unable to get appointments.

Peter Williams, from Waters Upton, recalled the ease of donating blood when he was an apprentice at GKN Sankey in Telford in 1970.

"The blood wagons used to come round - seven-and-a-half tonne vans they were," he recalled.

"They'd set up in the ballroom with 50 or 60 beds [...] Hundreds of [workers] must have gone through there each day."

Mr Williams noted that he "doesn't know any blood donors" in Shropshire anymore.

The NHS has said it is facing a "challenging" blood shortage

Jeff Lawrence from Shrewsbury said he was keen to donate blood as "quite a few people have probably helped me in the past, and I'd like to repay the favour."

"There aren't many places you're able to give blood, unfortunately."

Mr Lawrence said he wants to see more local places made available for donating blood.

"Less places means less donations, and less donations for people who need it."

Tim Dalton, who lives near the Shropshire-Staffordshire border, said the campaign for more donors made him feel "very angry and very frustrated."

When trying to book a donation slot, Mr Dalton said "any appointment offered was always in Birmingham or Wolverhampton, but very difficult to get to and always far into the future."

Darren Bowen, Assistant Director for Blood Supply Chain at NHS Blood and Transplant, stated that the service "currently [hosts] blood donation sessions in both Shrewsbury and Telford, offering around 5,600 appointments per year."

He continued: "We are incredibly grateful to all donors across Shropshire for their unwavering support in ensuring our sessions remain consistently well attended.

"While our community sessions across the county do get booked up quickly, we are currently appealing for people who live or work near one of our donor centres in towns and cities to help fill these venues where we have greatest availability."