A NEWPORT mother who needed an emergency transfusion while pregnant with her daughter has thanked blood donors across Wales for saving both their lives.

Alison Powell said it was “humbling” that people gave up their time to donate blood to people they had never met.

This Thursday (June 14) is World Blood Donor Day, when donors across the world are thanked for their life-saving acts.

“I urge as many people as possible to donate and help to save lives, just like mine and my daughter’s”, Ms Powell said.

She received two pints of blood at Royal Gwent Hospital to aid her recovery from complications in her daughter’s birth, 25 years ago.

“I lost a lot of blood during pregnancy, which put us both at danger”, Ms Powell said.

“If it wasn’t for blood donors, I wouldn’t have been able to give birth to my daughter, and I wouldn’t have been able to watch her grow up.”

As well as thanking donors, World Blood Day raises awareness of the need for regular blood donations, which are needed to ensure a safe, available supply of blood for patients in need.

In Wales, The Welsh Blood Service hosts over 1600 blood donation sessions nationwide each year, collecting almost 100,000 units of blood. Blood collected in Wales is supplied to 19 hospitals across the country.

Cath O’Brien, Director of the Welsh Blood Service said: “To us, every blood donor is a hero and World Blood Donor day is an important opportunity for us to thank them for their unwavering support.

“Around 90,000 blood donors across Wales have donated at least once in the past two years.

“With one unit of blood potentially able to help up to three patients, these donors are having a major impact on people’s lives. Without blood donors, the world would be a very different place for patients.”

Anyone interested in giving blood can visit welsh-blood.org or call 0800 252266 to book an appointment at a clinic near them.