A WREXHAM man has proved to be a real blood brother after donating his 123rd pint to the Welsh Blood Service.

David Watts, 69, first registered as a donor while he was a teenager working for the former electricity board Manweb and not a year has passed since he has pulled up his shirt sleeve for the most worthiest of causes.

He made his latest donation at Wrexham Memorial Hall and says he has no plans of letting up and aims to be donating into his seventies.

"A couple of my former colleagues at Manweb were donors, so I joined in and haven't looked back," recalled David. "It is such an important service and you know that the blood you donate can save lives.

"I have got two boys, who are now in their 40s, and they have got up to 50 pints of blood each, so as a family we have donated well over 200 pints."

The Welsh Blood Service needs to collect 450 pints a day and rely on volunteer donors. It prefers to use people aged 17 to 66, but David says that he has been able to continue to donate because of his unbroken service.

"You can carry on if you don't leave a gap of two years between donations and you have also got to keep healthy and be over a certain weight (over 7 st 12 lbs)," he added. "Some people used to use the donation sessions to get off work, but it was never my motivation. It's something a bit different and it is helping the community - and you still get a cup of tea."

David, from Johnstown, travelled to Liverpool for the session which marked his 100th pint and admits he may have donated even more over the years.

"I've had badges and a crystal decanter and if you go over 100 you are doing well.

"My mother actually threw away one or two of the letters I got when I was a youngster as I don't think she was that keen, so it could have been more. My aim is to carry on as long as I can and as I am a regular donor I hope I will be able to do that."