BRADFORD’s new blood donor centre got the backing of local rugby league heroes Bradford Bulls when it officially opened its doors.

Its new home in the city’s former register office building in Manor Row means it has more space for more beds for donors to come and give blood and can stay open for longer and on Saturdays which should boost the numbers of people coming through its doors to give the gift of life.

The move to the historic Kenburgh House building comes after 50 years of serving the community at its former base just minutes away in Rawson Road.

Bulls prop Ross Peltier and winger Iliess Macani joined the new chairman of NHS Blood and Transplant, Millie Banerjee CBE and Director of Blood Donation, Mike Stredder to declare it open this week.

Also there were long time blood donors and people from Bradford who have had their lives saved by blood transfusions or who rely on blood for ongoing treatment. There have been more than 700 units of blood collected since the centre opened to donors on May 16.

More than 2,000 people from Bradford currently give blood through the city’s Donor Centre and one person who regularly benefits from those donations is Tahir Mahmood who needs transfusions to treat Thalassaemia Major, a genetic blood disorder that affects many people from Asian and Mediterranean communities.

The 46-year-old needed his first transfusion when he was just one-year-old so his red cells can work properly and make healthy haemoglobin.

He said: “The blood I receive gives my body the red cells it needs to function properly. I couldn’t have the life I have if it wasn’t for people donating blood.

“I am so grateful and will always encourage everyone, especially people from ethnic backgrounds like myself, to give blood.

“It’s vital for people with conditions such as mine to enjoy a reasonably healthy life.”

People coming to give blood can now access free Wi-Fi and book their next appointments via iPads before they leave.

Mr Stredder said: “The move is all part of our wider plan to offer donors a more modern experience and give us the potential to increase blood collection in Bradford.

To find out more about blood donation, visit www.blood.co.uk