BORDERERS are being urged to donate blood due to an increased demand from hospitals throughout the country.

A major push for more donors has been made in a new campaign and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is hoping to encourage some 16,000 new blood donors in the next 12 months to bring levels up to a more secure position.

The donor base reached record low levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation confirmed.

Debbie McNaughton, SNBTS’s associate director said since lockdowns have ended, demand for blood in hospitals is currently seeing a 7% increase.

The new campaign, featuring blood donors from across Scotland, has been launched in time for World Blood Donor Day.

“The campaign is required to help us recruit new blood donors,” Ms McNaughton said.

“We currently have 96,295 blood donors and we need to build this to 105,000 active blood donors.”

“So we are asking people in Scotland to register as blood donors now. If you have never given blood before, or have not given blood for a while, our message is simple: We need people like you to come forward and give blood.

“It’s never been easier to register as a blood donor. You can book your appointment online and 84% of active donors now have an online account. Open yours at scotblood.co.uk, and help us keep NHS Scotland running.”

World Blood Donor Day takes place on June 14 each year.

The day was created to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion.

It also aims to highlight the critical contribution voluntary unpaid blood donors make to national health systems across the world.

This year, the host country for World Blood Donor Day is Mexico.