THESE are the some of the people who make sure blood donated daily around Oxford gets to those who need it.

Lesley Young, Jenny Pope and Kelly McBeth are just three of hundreds of donor carers who are trained to take your precious blood as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Each member of the team is a venepuncturist, who is specially trained to insert the needle into the vein of the donor, monitor the donation and check the person is well enough to leave.

They then ensure the blood is packed safely in the cool bags, ready to be sent.

Ms Young, from Cowley, has been a donor carer for 22 years.

In that time, she said she has seen thousands of people who have many touching stories to tell about why and how they came to donate.

She said: “A lot of people donate because their friends or families have needed a transfusion or because they needed one themselves as a child.

“It’s a very rewarding job. You know you’ve done something worthwhile when you get home.

“You’re helping people and also you’re making the donors feel good about themselves for doing something good.”

When donors arrive at the session, they are asked to fill in a health check form and, if they are giving blood for the first time, asked a number of questions that they can answer in confidence.

A tiny drop of blood is taken from the donor, so the team can check haemoglobin levels and ensure that giving blood will not make the donor anaemic.

If all is well, just under a pint of blood – 470ml – is taken.

The donors are then taken to a recovery area, where they are given a choice of drink and food, so that they can recuperate and build strength back up before leaving.

Just one pint of blood can save up to three lives, as it can be divided into three components – platelets, cells and plasma.

Ms Young said she urged people to support the Oxford Mail campaign to sign up 1,000 new donors, and potentially save 3,000 lives, before the winter, when many of us will be unable to donate because of flu and illness.

She said: “It’s a great campaign and I hope that as many as possible join up today to help save lives.”

If you have a story about giving or receiving blood, call Amanda Williams on 01865 425426 or email her at awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk