Blood is always in short supply – and as the NHS made another appeal for donors we sent our reporter Alex Alley to find out what it was like to give blood.

Nervous about my first time donating blood I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it really was.

Donors have to keep up their energy when they donate – so as I entered the centre I was seated and given a packet of crisps and a drink.

The iron in my blood then had to be tested to make sure I was suitable to donate.

Pricking my finger, they dripped my blood into a solution, timing how long it takes to sink to the bottom.

The richer in iron, the denser, therefore the faster it sinks.

Soon I was laying back on a chair as nurses cleaned my arm with medical alcohol and inserted a needle attached to a bag.

Before long a small portion of my blood was being transferred to this bag.

In a process that was supposed to take 15 minutes I was finished in four.

Donor marketing operations manager for the east, Chloe Hixon, 29, explained why the NHS needs more blood from the public.

“Edgware is one of the busiest centres on most days we need 250,000 donors every year.

“The donations will go to hospitals for people with chemo and accidents but the biggest use is for people in childbirth, such as women having caesarean operations.”

The NHS is also calling for more people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to give blood.

The Edgware Blood Donor Centre has been struggling to supply hospitals treating more and more people from diverse backgrounds.

Ms Hixon added: “Right now we need more donations from black or minority ethnic backgrounds.

“People with sickle cell anaemia which is more commonly found in the black community need blood from people from similar ethnic backgrounds because their bodies may not recognise cells which don’t belong to them.

“Older people tend to donate more because younger people who have travelled or piercings or tattoos can it’s harder for them to donate.”

Clifford Simons, 59, from Edgware was one of the donors at the centre.

He said: “Life’s all about giving back, it’s a great gift to give to someone else.

“I’ve been donating blood since I was 18.

“It seemed the worthwhile thing to do, it certainly filled the lunch time.

“After a break of almost 20 years I got back into donating.

“My 22 year old son is now donating, he’s B+ so I guess he’s more desirable.”

According to the NHS at they are asking for people with O – and B – blood types to come forward and donate blood.

They hope to get at least 250,000 new blood donors who will actively donate and especially need blood donations from ethnic minorities.

50 per cent of the donors are over the age of 45 and so younger people are requested to come forward.

Each time you donate you can save or improve the lives of up to three people.