UK's 'most prolific' blood donor urges public to 'help society'

One of the UK’s most prolific blood donors has urged people to donate blood and “help society”.

Grandfather Peter Randle, 69, has given blood 138 times, over a period spanning more than five decades.

Mr Randle, who is from Coventry, first gave blood when he was at university, aged 18.

Now, he is helping the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) celebrate its 20th anniversary, where Mr Randle has given the most of any donor in the UK.

“My blood group is what they call a universal blood group, which means in an emergency they can give it to anyone,” Mr Randle said, referring to his O-negative blood type.

“I realised that it was more important for me to give blood, which is what motivated me to keep giving.

“It’s just something you can do to help society, so I would encourage everyone to do it – particularly if you’ve got the rarer blood groups like mine, then you should really try and find the time to do it.

“If you give every three months, if you don’t do anything else particularly good during that time you’ve always done that.”

Peter Randle donates blood once every eight weeks. / Credit: PA

NHSBT was established in October 2005 when the National Blood Authority, UK Transplant and Bio Products Laboratory merged to create one organisation.

Since it began, Mr Randle has donated blood 88 times – the highest number of donations in NHSBT’s 20-year history.

NHSBT is calling for O-negative donors to come forward, as well as people with B-negative blood and black heritage donors.

They are also particularly calling for more young men to sign up to become stem cell donors.

The organisation says it has received over 33 million blood donations over its 20-year history, as well as over 18 million opt-ins to the NHS organ donor register.

It also said that 53 new blood group antigens and 104 new blood group alleles have been discovered by NHSBT scientists.

Dr Gail Miflin, chief medical officer at NHSBT said: “The work we have done as an organisation over these last two decades is truly life-saving and life-improving, and we couldn’t have done any of it without the millions pf generous blood, organ, plasma, platelet and stem cell donors who have put themselves forward to help those who need it.

“We cannot thank them enough for everything they have done and continue to do.”