THE number of young people registering to become blood donors in Notts has dropped by more than a third in the last two years.
New figures show only 2,786 people aged 17 to 24 have become blood donors in the city and county this year – a drop of more than 37 per cent from 4,440 young people donating in 2010.
The NHS says the decline needs to be addressed now, to avoid a shortage of supplies of life-saving blood in the years to come.
Holly Mason, from NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We need young people to come forward now to become the next generation of blood donors.
"Young people are our future life-savers."
More young people getting tattoos and piercings is thought to have contributed to the dip, as anyone who has a tattoo cannot give blood for at least four months afterwards.
Freda Leafe, 82, of Calverton, has chronic lymphatic leukaemia and has to undergo regular blood transfusions – and urged more donors to come forward.
She said: "I don't know what has caused the fall in young donors. I wish there were more."
The NHS has launched an appeal to find 10,000 new donors in the East Midlands. Every year 225,000 new donors are needed to replace existing donors who drop out of the system in the UK.
