For this grandmother of three, a new heart and vital blood transfusion gave her the chance to become an award winning sportswoman. Now she wants others to know how important it is to give blood.

Jill Edwards, 67, from Carterton, was always a keen swimmer and netball player until a heart condition forced her to give up sport in the early 1990s.

A condition called hypertrophic cardio- myopathy, which means the muscles in the heart become very enlarged, meant Mrs Edwards found even walking up a hill a struggle.

But since a life-saving operation in which she received a new heart and eight pints of donated blood, she has gone on to compete in the World Transplant Games.

She said: “Even as a small child, I always seemed to be short of breath, but that never stopped me playing netball, swimming and being very active.

“Over the years the problem worsened and I began to find the simple things a real struggle.

“Eventually they told me I needed a heart transplant. They used a lot of blood, about eight pints, without which I wouldn’t have been able to have the operation.

“I’m now as fit as ever. I swim 50 lengths in 40 minutes every day.”

Mrs Edwards represented England and the UK in the European and World Transplant Games, and got gold, silver and bronze medals in swimming, badminton and table tennis.

She was also selected to represent the UK in the World Transplant Games in Australia this year, but because of a hip injury was unable to go.

About 13 per cent of the 7,000 donated units of blood the NHS needs every day is used for cardio- thoracic surgery.

Mrs Edwards and her husband Peter are backing the Oxford Mail campaign to boost the National Blood Service’s bank of donors in readiness for this winter by recruiting 1,000 new donors.

She said: “It isn’t a nice thought, but it really was a matter of life and death.

“If someone hadn’t decided to give those eight pints of blood I wouldn’t be here. Thanks to the generosity of blood and organ donors I’ve had an extra amazing 18 years of life.”

To join the Oxford Mail campaign to get 1,000 blood donors over the next month, download the pdf and fill it in.