A woman from a village between Keighley and Skipton is preparing to possibly become the first woman in the world with her particular blood disorder to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Lynn Wild, 70, of Farnhill, said she received a call last week to say she was on stand-by for the jab even though it could cause bleeding and she would have to take a particular drug before and after.

“I’ve spoken since to the Haemophilia Society and they say it looks like I’m the first woman with von Willebrand disease to get the vaccine.

“A man in London with it received his jab the other day, but I am the first woman.

“When the practice rang me and asked if I was happy to have it despite the risk to me I said yes, let’s do it.

“I want to show people how important the vaccine is and that despite the fact I could bleed and will have to take TXA drugs (Tranexamic acid which helps blood to clot) before and after and be monitored for 48 hours I am more than happy.

“For me getting Covid would be much worse. The blood disorder I have means I wouldn’t be able to have the drugs they treat people for Covid with so I could be in a very vulnerable position.

“For me it is best to have the jab and then I can get on with my life. Having the vaccine is a risk, but getting Covid is a far bigger risk.”

Lynn said her practice rang her to say she was on the list and as soon as they have the vaccines in place she will be called to go along.

“I’ll be taking my Talking Red t-shirt along and a camera to capture the occasion,” she added.

Mrs Wild said her role in life is being the Talking Red ambassador for the Haemophilia Society to promote Women Bleed Too.

The campaign was launched in 2016 and Lynn’s role is to help raise awareness.

She added: “Being a positive person, I wanted to get the word out that women shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about bleeding, whether it is heavy periods or frequent bruising.

“The more we talk, the more informed women will be, and that can only help the thousands that are suffering in silence.”

She added: “It’s the same with the vaccine and concerns some people are having about having it.

“This is my way of showing people how much I believe in it.”

She adds that healthy people without her blood disorder would not be at risk of bleeding from the injection site.

A bleeding disorder is a condition that affects the way blood normally clots. Diagnosis is by blood tests to determine which bleeding disorder a person has, and which is the best course of treatment. Visit talkingred.org for more details.

Meanwhile, the first large-scale vaccination centre in West Yorkshire opened earlier this week.

Among the first to use the centre, in Wakefield, were a couple who said they have stayed at home throughout the pandemic to make sure they were “100% safe.”

Richard and Linda Poskitt received their vaccinations on Tuesday morning and said it was a “great day”.

Mr Poskitt, 77, said: “In two or three weeks, or whatever, when we’ve got the protection, it will be a big weight off.”

The centre, at Spectrum Community Health, on Navigation Walk, in Wakefield, is the first of West Yorkshire’s four centres to open, with further centres planned at Jacob's Well in Bradford city centre, Huddersfield and Leeds.