Mayo man's plea for blood donors

BLOOD donor supreme John Joe Derrig, from Milebush, Castlebar, has made a plea for additional donors to come forward.

When aged 18, John Joe, a hairdresser by profession, gave his first pint of blood to the Blood Transfusion Service.

Since then he has donated a staggering 92 pints, the most recent when he attended at the Ivy Tower, Castlebar, where the service was operating.

John Joe received a gold medal after donating 50 pints of blood and his aim is to hit the 100 in the coming years.

Said John Joe: "I would love to see more donors attending the service, particularly younger people, as there is an urgent need for blood which is in short supply."