“Giving blood makes such a difference” - hundreds sign up to the Evening News’s New Blood campaign

People across Norfolk and Suffolk are being urged to help save a life this December and sign up to become a blood donor.

A total of 641 people have signed up to the Evening News's New Blood campaign, which aims to recruit 750 new blood donors during December.

Patricia Betts, 62, who lives in Norton Subcourse, has backed the campaign by pledging to become a blood donor.

Mrs Betts has seen first hand how blood donations can improve the quality of people's lives.

Over the past 18 months her partner, David Boast, 67, who has cancer, has received 11 units of blood,

'David has cancer of the oesophagus which has spread to his liver,' Mrs Betts said.

'The blood helps him a lot. When we take him in for a transfusion he is short of breath and has to be in a wheelchair but after he has had the blood, he can walk out of hospital.'

Mrs Betts, a retired hairdresser, said her son, Marc Hewitt, 36, an insurance broker, and his girlfriend, Penny Horne, a solicitor, have also signed up to become blood donors.

'My son has made an appointment and he is going to give blood in January. He hadn't thought about it before but the blood donor van sometimes visits his workplace so it will be easy for him to donate.

'I'm not nervous about giving blood. I always thought that I was too old but then I saw the campaign in the paper and found out that I was eligible.'

The mother-of-two added: 'Giving blood makes such a difference. It's just for a few minutes of your time and it can help so many people.

'I can see the difference it makes to David.'