A FOREST woman has been officially recognised for donating 100 pints of blood.

Imogen Hinton of Buckshaft, Cinderford gave her first pint 50 years ago while working in London – although she doesn’t recall what first prompted her to give blood.

She has been a regular donor since then, even when she moved to Australia, where her donations counted to the landmark total.

Mrs Hinton was invited to a special ceremony at a hotel in Malvern where she was presented with a certificate and a ruby donor card.

The age limit of 70 for donors was scrapped in 2008 and Mrs Hinton said she will continue to give for as long as she can.

She said: “There is a great need for blood and I would encourage everyone who is able to donate.

“It is very easy – you have a chat with people and a cup of tea.”

She actually passed the landmark last year and has since made a further four blood donations.

She said: “We had a lovely lunch in Malvern where I met other donors.”

The modern blood transfusion service has its roots in the Second World, although a network of voluntary donations had been established by the British Red Cross as far back as the 1920s.

At that time it was not possible to store blood, but the demand for transfusions after the London Blitz and the return of large numbers of soldiers from Dunkirk early in the war led to the establishment of blood banks.

They used techniques for storing blood developed in the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s.

The National Blood Transfusion Service – which is now NHS Blood and Transplant – was established in 1946, the year after the end of the war.

Each unit of blood can save or improve the lives of up to three people.