Meet Harborough's very own James Bond - with a licence to save lives, not take them!

Alan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood platelet
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Harborough man Alan White loves movie hero James Bond – and no wonder as he works for the crack Aston Martin driving team.

But after he’s donated an incredible 700 blood platelets over the last 50 years there’s one huge difference – he’s licensed to save lives not take them!

Alan, 71, got kitted out as the super-suave and sophisticated 007 Aston Martin-driving spy when he gave his 700th donation at Birmingham Blood Donor Centre earlier this week.

Alan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood plateletAlan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood platelet
Alan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood platelet

“I thought I’d have some fun – and bring a touch of real Hollywood glamour and spy action to the scene! So I reversed the 700 figure and turned it into 007,” said evergreen Alan, of Kibworth Beauchamp.

“I got dressed up as the debonair James Bond himself – with the crisp white dress shirt, beautiful black trousers and natty black dickie bow.

“I created a '007' picture theme with the help of my daughter Melanie and the fantastic staff at the blood donor centre.

“I even had a glass of something rather special to wash it all down with.

Alan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood plateletAlan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood platelet
Alan White got kitted out as 007 when he donated his 700th blood platelet

“It turned out brilliantly and we all had a great time, it made everyone’s day.

“Talk about being shaken and not stirred!”

Inspirational Alan started giving blood platelets as well as blood donations way back in 1971 when he was a student at Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

“And it’s all gone from there, I’ve just never stopped.

“As long as you’re fit and healthy, you’ve got big enough veins and a high enough platelet count you can donate,” said Alan, a key member of the Aston Martin Driving Experience Team, based at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

“I’ve just kept on giving right across 50 years – and I’ll carry on for as long as I can.

“I have regularly donated for 90 minutes, the equivalent of three donation credits.

“But over the last four or five years I’ve gone back to double donations.

“On average I’ve donated every three or four weeks.

“The whole procedure takes quite a bit of time, of course.

“But it’s all worth every minute and every drop of blood and every last platelet,” said Alan, a dad-of-two and grandad-of-two.

“Every donation saves lives.

“Donations save the lives of up to three adults or 12 children.

“They are so critical.

“Any one of us could need blood or platelets at any time.

“We could be seriously injured in a car crash, suffer a terrible accident or be undergoing chemotherapy to fight cancer,” said Kibworth Beauchamp’s very own heroic 007.

“So I’d urge everyone to step forward and step up to donate their blood and platelets.

“The sense of achievement and supreme feeling of fulfilment at becoming a regular life-saver is absolutely second to none.

“Do something amazing – save a life today.”

If you have been awed and inspired by totally selfless Alan then don’t live and let die - live and let live.

And find out a lot more about becoming a blood platelet donor and a life-saving hero by visiting the NHS website here: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/what-we-do/blood-services/platelet-donation/

Related topics: