A man who helped to save the life of a man seriously injured after a motorbike accident has been honoured.

Barry Carter, 53, of Pickering, was presented with an award from the NHS Blood and Transplant teams for donating 75 pints of blood since he was 16-years-old.

Barry said: “A van pulled out in front of the gentleman who was on a motorbike. His family were apparently all told that he wouldn’t make it at one point.

“Giving blood is the sort of thing that when you need it, you would like it to be there and if it wasn’t for people donating blood then there wouldn’t be any there for when people need it so desperately. It is the one thing you can do that helps to save lives, but you don’t need to commit lots of time to do it.”

In a ceremony at the Cave Castle Hotel and Country Club, Beverley, Barry was presented with his award alongside other dedicated blood donors who have together helped to save the lives of hundreds of people across the country. Barry first began giving blood as a teenager twice a year, but over the years the regulations of blood donation changed and he now tries to give blood the maximum of four times a year. He said he plans to continue donating for many years.

He said: “I will certainly be continuing to give blood. I hope to make it to the 100 pints milestone and will try to donate at least three times a year, four if I can.”

For more information and to find out how to donate blood, phone the NHS Blood and Transplant line on 0300 1232323.