NHS Blood and Transplant is stopping its blood donor sessions at Tavistock and Callington after completing a review on the donation service across Devon and Cornwall.

The NHS has revised its programme of donation sessions in the two counties in an effort to collect more blood at its larger venues. Following the review, numerous sessions run in rural communities in halls, community centres and churches will be axed. The Tavistock Methodist Church and Callington Town Hall sessions will be among those to go.

Tavistock residents who still wish to donate will now have to travel to Derriford Hospital’s donor centre to give blood. Callington’s donors will be asked to travel to Liskeard.

The NHS has said that the need for blood is not as high as it once was, which has played a role in the decision. Hospital blood use is declining by 3-4% a year.

Mike Stredder, director of blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: ’We are very grateful to all those who give up their time to donate blood. Their generosity helps save and improve the lives of patients across the country.

’The demand for blood is reducing, partly because of improvements in clinical practice, such as keyhole surgery. This means we sometimes need to reduce the amount of blood donation sessions that we hold. It is important we don’t waste precious donations by collecting too much blood.

’When we need to reduce the amount of blood donation sessions we hold, we try and make sure we retain the sessions that allow us to collect the most blood in the most efficient way. These are usually larger sessions at venues which can accommodate nine donation chairs.

’While hospitals are using less blood than in previous years, we still need to collect 1.5-million units of blood a year. We look forward to seeing our loyal donors at their next donation.’

After announcing the closure of the Tavistock sessions on social media, the Times received comments from dozens of people upset at the decision.

Tavistock donor Ross Ayling said: ‘I have just signed up to be a donor in the last couple of months after my grandad needed quite a few transfusions before he died. So knowing that I could go to Tavistock was a great option for me, as I work in town.

‘Plymouth is too far for me to travel to donate, despite the fact I wanted to give support to folk like my grandad.’

Lynnette Roberts said: ‘My husband has been a blood donor for close on 40 years. He has already said he will not travel to Plymouth to donate. I hope the blood transfusion service don’t live to regret this decision.’

Ellie Tremain said: ‘Such a shame! I’ve been a donor at the Methodist Church since I was 18 and having B- blood, I feel like I’m doing my bit for the 2 per cent of the population that have that blood group. Bring a Tavistock session back!’

One donor who will try and continue donating following the decision is Sarah Pascall. She said: ’I donated at the Methodist as it was a convenient day and time, plus location. It’s a shame but good that there are so many donors in the system. I’ll try and make it work at the main centre in Derriford. It is a trek but at least parking is free for donors, else that would have been a deal breaker!’

Every blood donation can save or improve up to three lives and each day NHS Blood and Transplant needs around 6,000 donors to give blood at sessions across England to meet patient need.

While donors from all blood groups are important, the NHS particularly needs donors from O negative (the universal blood group), A negative and B negative to donate regularly as stocks of these blood groups are more vulnerable to shortfalls.

More black and south Asian people are needed to become blood donors to reflect the ethnic diversity of patients.

To find out more about blood donation, visit www.blood.co.uk