Ten years ago the life of a Saffron Walden man was saved after he was given 14 pints of blood following a head-on car crash..

Today (Thursday, May 8) David Noble has dedicated himself to saving others.

The 56-year-old, who was wheelchair-bound for six months after seriously injuring his legs, uses a specially-adapted scooter to deliver blood stocks to hospitals in Essex and north east London.

Just months ago, his team from the Essex Voluntary Blood Service were credited with saving a baby’s life when they delivered an emergency supply of platelets to The Royal London Hospital.

“I just wanted to give something back,” said Mr Noble, of Railey Road. “We all do it for free, using our own bikes and at our expense. It has been very rewarding.

“My accident inspired me to help, but at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to move quickly enough if the blood supplies had to be delivered urgently.

“Most of the time the role involves replenishing supplies at hospitals, but occasionally there are emergencies.”

Mr Noble’s life-altering experience has led him to call on more people to donate blood. He is unable to donate himself, as anyone who has had a blood transfusion since 1984 is precluded from doing so, but said he would if he could.

“Before my accident I donated about 10 pints of blood in 40 years, which isn’t a great deal,” said Mr Noble. “Like the majority of people I used to say to myself that I was too busy today, I’d do it tomorrow. And tomorrow never came.

“I would strongly urge anyone who is thinking about donating to please do so – you never know if you might need some one day.”

Mr Noble worked at Uttlesford District Council for almost 20 years before retiring in 2008. He was part of the facilities management team prior to his accident in 2004 and returned to work at the authority after completing his 18-month recovery and rehabilitation process.

The crash happened on the outskirts of Newport on May 8, 2004. Mr Noble braked to avoid a piece of wood which fell off the back of a skip lorry and swerved into the path of a 15-tonne lorry.

In an odd twist of fate, two of the first people on the scene were doctors from the same family. An A&E doctor, who was on her way to work at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, stopped to help, along with her father who had been travelling in a separate car in the other direction.

“It was quite a bizarre coincidence,” Mr Noble said. “I would like to express my heartfelt express to them, as well as the emergency services and staff at Addenbrooke’s Hospital who helped to rebuild me.”