THREE Tavistock blood donors were among those honoured for rolling up their sleeves to help save lives at an awards ceremony held by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

Julia Harris, Geoffrey Turner and Ian Gent were presented with a commemorative crystal plate for making a highly commendable 75 blood donations each.

Every single blood donation can potentially save the lives of three people, so the dedication of the three blood donors could have helped prevent the deaths of up to 675 patients in local hospitals.

All three blood donors have dedicated their time to help save the lives of many others.

Mr Gent is one of these donors.

He said: 'I do it simply to save lives.'

The three Tavistock donors were presented with their awards at Combe Lodge in Somerset.

They were thanked by Rebecca Whitley, mother of Scarlett Bamping.

It is due to the generosity of donors that recipients of blood like Scarlett can receive the treatment they need.

Scarlett was born with hip dysfunction dysplasia (HDD) which meant she has needed a number of operations and leg casts to help with her condition.

In September 2010, Scarlett underwent reconstructive hip surgery and during the six hour operation she was given a blood transfusion.

Her mother, Rebecca Whitley, said: 'Scarlett was born with HDD at the most severe level, though non-invasive treatment was tried, she had to have surgery to give her a better and more normal standard of living.

'I dread to think what could have happened without a blood transfusion and I am so grateful to all those people who take the time to give blood.'

Jonathan Sewell, NHSBT's lead donor relations manager for the South West, said: 'It was a pleasure to thank our dedicated donors at the ceremony and Scarlett's experiences really brought home to everyone present what giving blood is all about.

'It's wonderful that we can call on people who have dedicated themselves to giving blood over so many years.

'However, in order to maintain blood stocks we need a staggering 230,000 new donors every year, so it would be great to see more young people across the South West becoming the life-savers of the future by making an appointment to attend a local session.