An 82-year-old Chippenham man has been honoured by the NHS blood transfusion service for donating so much that he has saved up to 450 lives.

Stuart Green has received an award for donating 150 pints of blood by last year – and he’s still donating.

Stuart first began donating when he was 18 and working at Chippenham’s Westinghouse rail company.

He said: “In those early days the blood transfusion service came to the company twice a year, but over time this increased to three times and now a man can donate whole blood four times a year if he is fit and well. Also, the upper age limit of 70 years was removed some years ago.”

He added: “Currently my record stands at 152 donations. As long as you’re healthy you can continue to donate and I intend to do so, I generally give four times a year.

"It’s a really worthy cause and the blood transfusion service is always seeking new donors.”

In honouring Stuart, the NHS said: “Stuart’s donation of 150 units of whole blood over a period of more than 63 years is a record reached by only a few people in England and is an incredible achievement.

“Stuart has also received notification from NHS Blood and Transplant that due to his blood type being O negative, he and others like him are now designated first responders.

"Although only about 7 per cent of the population have O negative blood, it is known as the universal blood type, as it can be given to anyone, even when a patient’s own blood type is unknown.

“For this reason, first responders are vital for saving lives in emergency situations, and why O negative blood is often carried in air ambulances and other emergency response vehicles.

"New donors are required all the time and Stuart would encourage anyone who is fit and healthy to volunteer to become a regular donor by visiting the website www.blood.co.uk.”

An NHS spokesman said: “More than 5,000 blood donations are needed by the NHS every day to meet the needs of patients across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and every donation can save up to three lives.

“However, most donors are aged over 45, which is why the NHS is seeking to recruit ‘new blood’ through the #NewBlood campaign, to help secure the next generation of long-term donors and protect the blood supply for the future.”