A call centre is ringing the bells of success after winning a health sector deal which will create 80 new jobs.

Loop Customer Management, owned by Yorkshire Water's parent firm, Kelda, has secured a four-year contract with the National Blood Service (NBS).

The centre, based at MidPoint business park in Thornbury, will provide all of the NBS's outbound calls from May 1. The work will involve contacting donors to confirm or re-arrange appointments.

Managing Director of Loop, Alastair Thomson, said: "We are delighted with this contract and see it as an important vote of confidence by a major public organisation in the capabilities of our business."

For the call centre, which only started up a year ago, the contract is a massive boost and will see its employee numbers swell from 480 to around 560. Operations director Paul Fisher said: "We'll be making around two million calls a year to blood donors, so this really is big league outbound calling.

"Our aim when we set up was to win outside business and to win a contract of this size within our first year is really great."

The NBS hopes the partnership will achieve the goal of bringing in the vast quantities of blood needed by Britain's health service every day.

Purchasing Manager Andrew Lowe, said: "I am delighted to award this very important contract to Loop Customer Man-agement, following an intensive contracting process."

Loop Customer Management looks after all Yorkshire Water's telephone call handling, billing, collection and recovery services.