MORE fire stations will follow in the wake of Wokingham to host blood donation sessions over the coming months.

Across Berkshire eight stations will host NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) events, thanks to a partnership with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS).

After Wokingham Fire Station became the first to host in April 2016, the partnership proved successful enough that all RBFRS fire stations that are big enough to support NHSBT operations were approved as venues.

Wokingham, Caversham Road, Langley, Slough and Newbury fire stations have already hosted sessions resulting in over 2,000 blood donations, which could help up to 6,000 patients.

Now Maidenhead, Whitley Wood and Bracknell fire stations are taking bookings.

Councillor Malcolm Alexander, RBFRS’ lead member for collaboration said: “This is a significant milestone, especially when you consider that at this point last year we only had one fire station available to the NHSBT and we had only hosted two sessions.

“Now we can reach more people across Royal Berkshire. We will have eight fire stations, which will have hosted a total of 37 sessions by the end of 2017, and 85 sessions by the end of 2018.

“We’re delighted to work with the NHSBT and work towards our goal of bringing our fire stations into the heart of the communities they serve.”

If you would like to give blood, please visit: www.blood.co.uk/ or call 0300 123 23 23 to make an appointment.