Blood donors turned away from Harborough Leisure Centre because it was 'too cold'

Blood donors were turned away from Harborough Leisure Centre because it was too cold.

On Friday (November 3) blood donors were told they could not donate due to the temperature inside the building being below 16 degrees.

One of those was an 85-year-old woman, who was told by staff the temperature in the building was 13 degrees and it had to reach 16 to meet NHS requirements.

A relative of the woman told the Mail: “My grandmother attended a pre-booked appointment at Harborough Leisure Centre. However, she and many others were turned away because the hall was too cold.

“The nurses' and donors' time were both sadly wasted.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: “Due to an issue with the temperature at the venue, unfortunately our mobile blood collection session at Harborough Leisure Centre was delayed, which meant that a small number of donors couldn’t give blood, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“The session was able to start once the heating issue was resolved and we are in contact with the venue to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Everyone Active, which oversees the running of the centre, said the issue will not happen again.

Contract manager Matthew Hopkin said: “We can confirm that Friday’s blood donor session started around an hour late, which was due to the sports hall initially not being warm enough due to colleague error.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to reassure donors and nurses that future sessions will begin on time.”