People in Kirklees are being urged to make a life-saving commitment by becoming new blood donors.
A campaign titled Missing Type is spotlighting a major drop in the number of people signing up as donors last year. Internationally, there were nearly a third fewer compared to a decade ago.
So NHS Blood and Transplant is teaming up with 25 blood donor organisations in 21 countries to try to save the day for future generations.
The number of people becoming donors for the first time in England actually fell by 24.4per cent in 2015.
In Kirklees last year, 6,399 people gave blood at least once. But health professionals stress new donors are crucial to ensure the right mix of blood groups is available to meet demand.
And there is a particular need for more black and Asian donors.
A major focus is also on recruiting more younger people as half of all donors in England are aged over 45.
Last year, 11.3 cent of donors in Kirklees were aged 17 to 24 with 57.3per cent 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 in Kirklees every day. Blood is an absolutely essential part of modern healthcare.”
Mr Stredder said there is no current crisis in blood stocks, but that more donors are needed for the future.
“We need people in Kirklees to register as new donors at www.blood.co.uk , he said.
