BLOOD donation sparks mixed reactions. From the zeal of the die-hard donor to fears from those who see it as some form of torture ritual from the Middle Ages.

Regular donors relish the opportunity to give blood in the knowledge that they are helping to save lives - stocks can be used to help burns victims, people who have lost blood in serious accidents, women who have lost blood during childbirth and for treating anaemia.

The National Blood Service relies on people such as Ellen Marsh, of Canada Way, Lower Wick, Worcester, who in the course of her life has given 80 pints of blood - her story featured in your Worcester News in February 1982 and is now part of a display at the George Marshall Medical Museum at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

But for every Ellen Marsh there are many more people who have never given blood, have never entertained the idea of giving blood and remain unaware of how simple, quick and painless it can be.

Unfortunately, donations of blood are falling and the service often relies on a small number of stalwarts to provide them on a regular basis.

National Blood Service donations nationally have dropped by 20 per cent over the last six years.

While Worcester has not seen as big a drop there has still been a fall of three per cent in the number of blood donors attending sessions in the last nine months.

The NBS has been reviewing its services and in Worcester action is already being taken to offer more flexibility to get more donors through its doors.

Worcester has always led the way when it comes to blood donation - the city had the first mobile collection team in the country to offer donors two different ways of giving blood.

Alongside the traditional means of donating blood, there is also a red cell donation collection service which enables some donors to safely give double the amount of red cells in a single session - a "double donation".

After giving blood these donors do not need to return for eight months, helping those with busy modern lifestyles, struggling to find time to donate three times per year.

Research has been conducted across the West Midlands to understand the reasons behind the drop in donor numbers.

The poll of 300 current and potential donors in the region showed that people are looking for a more flexible service which fits with the demands of their lifestyles.

They want to be able to donate blood at times and locations that are more convenient for them:

* 66 per cent of those considering donating in the future said being able to give blood on weekday evenings or at weekends would encourage them to do so.

* 71 per cent of those asked want to be able to donate somewhere closer to home.

* 65 per cent said they would be prompted to donate more if more frequent sessions were available at local venues such as GP surgeries and schools.

* 63 per cent were not aware that they could book an appointment to donate blood.

Peter Taylor, area donor services manager for Worcester, said: "We do have many loyal donors who give blood regularly at our sessions across Worcestershire.

But the fact is we are seeing a decline in numbers coming through the doors, and some of our donors are telling us that the service we provide just isn't flexible enough.

"That's why we have to make sure the service adapts to encourage new donors, while also ensuring that current donors have the flexibility they need to continue to donate much needed blood.

"In Worcestershire we're already putting this into action.

"We were the first area to run red cell donating alongside the regular session, offering two different ways of donating.

"We've also established an appointment system so donors can book ahead as well as just dropping into a session, something particularly popular at sessions where the majority of donors are taking time out of their working day."

The West Midlands also reflects national opinion - 40 per cent of regular donors and 70 per cent of lapsed donors across the country said that inconvenient session times were the reason for not donating.

Sixty-nine per cent of first-time donors want to be able to make an appointment as well as expecting the whole experience not to take longer than 45 minutes.

Up to 7,000 units of blood needs to be collected across the country every day to meet the needs of patients and hospitals.

Although most people can give blood, only four per cent of those who can actually do.

Initiatives like those in Worcestershire are designed to make it as convenient as possible for new and existing donors to play their part in saving and improving patients' lives.

FACT FILE: BLOOD DONATIONBLOOD GROUPIf you donate blood you get a donor card which shows your blood type.

You will either be A, B, O or AB.

Blood groups are inherited from your parents.

There is also a rhesus factor meaning you will also have either positive or negative blood.

O negative donors are known as universal donors because their blood may be transfused to patients of any other blood type.

This means O negative donors are in demand but all blood is useful.

SCREENINGAll blood is screened for infectious diseases such as HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Donors are advised not to use the service as away of getting tested for these illnesses.DOUBLE DONATIONSRed cell donation involves the donation of double the usual amount of red cells using a cell separator machine, which separates blood into platelets, plasma, red cells and white cells. The red cells are collected and the plasma, platelets and white cells immediately returned to the donor.

Red cell donation is only suitable for donors over a certain weight and with a certain level of haemoglobin in their blood.

DONATION SESSIONSThe service arranges more than 100 donation sessions every day across England and north Wales. The whole process from arriving at the clinic to leaving takes on average less than an hour. Each donation can save more than one life.HOW TO BECOME A DONORTo become a blood donor or for more information on sessions in your area, call the National Donor Helpline on 08457 711 711 or visit blood.co.ukTHE NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICEThe NBS is a part of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), a special health authority in the NHS responsible for managing the National Blood Service, Bio Products Laboratory, and UK Transplant. NHSBT is responsible for optimising the supply of blood, organs, plasma and tissues and raising the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of blood and transplant services.