A blood donor centre in Edgware is gearing up to receive extra donations as it becomes a stand-in centre for the busiest donor centre in the country which is closing due to refurbishment.

The West End Donor Centre, near Oxford Circus tube station, received 45,072 blood donations last year. And following expansion, in the autumn, it's hoped it will collect an extra 20,000 donations a year.

Meanwhile, the Edgware donor centre, within Westgate House, at Edgware Community Hospital, is one of three other London centres where donors are being diverted during the refurbishment. The others are in Tooting and at the Royal College of Nursing.

Mike Stredder, director of blood donation at the NHS said: “There is an urgent need for more black and Asian blood donors to come forward. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to share the same blood group but there is a shortage of black and Asian donors. This expansion will help us to collect more blood from London’s diverse population, many of whom have the valuable B positive and Ro blood groups."

To book an appointment use your app in the usual way, or book online at www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.