TOWN and district councillor Joan Atkins has chalked up another milestone in her bid to help others.

Joan, who is a former Mayor of Teignmouth, travels once a month to the Blood Donor unit at Derriford Hospital to donate her platelets.

Now she has clocked up 300 donations.

She said: ‘It’s vitally important that people who are able consider donation of both whole blood or platelets because without the army of volunteer donors around the country the health service would suffer.’

Platelets differ from blood donations as group A negative is the universally accepted group unlike blood which is group O.

The platelets are used to treat many serious conditions and trauma.

Joan explained: ‘It does take an hour or two, depending on what donation is required.

‘And age is not necessarily a bar either, providing you are fit and healthy you may be eligible on screening.

‘And I’m well over 21,’ she joked.

‘But because I’m fit and I’m not suffering any ill effects I’m able to carry on and am emailed a message telling me where in the country my platelets have gone afterwards -and it can be anywhere being A neg not just locally.’

To mark the occasion of her 300th donation, nurses at the unit presented her with a certificate and a cake.

She said: ‘I have given blood since I was 18 off and on, though since I moved to Teignmouth 40 years ago it has been regular.

‘We all expect blood or platelets to be there if we are going in for an operation or are hurt in an accident so I ask people, if they are willing and able, to consider becoming a donor or going back to donation.’