SHE has given more than seven times her entire volume of blood but after half a century champion donor Sheila Lloyd is still going strong.

Mrs Lloyd, 68, started giving blood in the year of the Queen's accession to the throne when she turned 18 - following in the footsteps of her mother - and plans to continue until she is 70 when rules dictate she will have to give up. Sheila Lloyd outside her Kidderminster home with her blood donor card.

She has given blood 66 times over that period, with a 10-year break when she raised a family, and worked for the National Blood Service in the 1950s assisting doctors.

And Mrs Lloyd, of Lapwing Close, Kidderminster, reckons if she can do it anyone can.

"It's so easy. It only takes 15 minutes. Do you think I would have gone 66 times if it was so awful?" she said.

"We lead such selfish lives and it's such a simple thing to do. Your donation could be the one that saves somebody's life."

She now attends St Mary's Church, Kidderminster, about three times a year to give just under a pint of blood.

"It's much more relaxed and friendly than it used to be. It's almost like a social occasion. I'd recommend it to anyone - you don't feel any different afterwards," added Mrs Lloyd.

For more information about becoming a blood donor call 08457 711 711.