Three Dunstable blood donors who between them have given the gift of life to up to 600 people have earned awards for their dedication.
John Beaumont, Susan Boakes and John Stewart received “crystal awards” for their loyalty and commitment to blood donation.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) recognised their dedication at a special ceremony.
Grandfather John Beaumont, 71, of Appleby Gardens, was one of a handful of donors who received recognition for their 100th donation.
The retired engineer, who has one son, a daughter and three grandchildren, first started donating when a “bloodmobile” visited his workplace.
He is only too happy to give blood that could save a life.
John said: “It seems such a fantastic return for a very minimal amount of time.”
His blood type is O negative and in the past few years his donations have specifically gone to potentially save the lives of babies.
He said: “It’s great to know that a pint of blood can help them to carry on and get to my age!”
The life-saving efforts of 57 blood donors from London and the Home Counties were rewarded at the ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, Watford.
The awards were presented by Simon Cooper, a blood and double lung transplant recipient who has cystic fibrosis.
Every blood donation can potentially save the lives of up to three people.
So if a donor has given blood 75 times, they could have helped save the lives of up to 225 patients.
Dominic Sutherland, lead donor relations manager at NHSBT, said: “We hold these ceremonies so that we can thank our selfless and dedicated blood donors.
“For these people, donating blood is a big part of their life and to get to this stage shows a massive commitment.
“It was great to hear from Simon at the event and I hope that his story not only shows donors what a difference their blood makes to a person in need but also inspires them to carry on donating blood for as long as they can.”
Out of the four per cent of the eligible population who give blood, only three per cent ever manage to reach 75 donations and just one per cent reach 100.
Anyone wanting to donate for the first time should be aged between 17-65, weigh at least 7 stone 12lbs and be in general good health.
People who have donated before can begin again up to their 70th birthday and there is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the past two years.
To book an appointment, call the donor line on 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk.