STUDENTS are finding that giving blood is a real treat

Undergraduates at the University of Teesside are being rewarded with vouchers for free 500ml tubs of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, following donor sessions at the Middlesbrough campus this week.

The ice cream firm teamed up with the National Blood Service in a four-year campaign to recruit young donors and boost vital blood stocks.

Philippa Marshall, from Ben and Jerry's, said: "It's brilliant to get young people giving blood while they are students, because if they make donating blood a habit for life, they could potentially keep on giving until they're 70 - that's a lot of blood.

"This scheme is designed to give all Teesside students the extra treat they might need to encourage them to come down and give blood."

Only five per cent of the eligible population in England and Wales gives blood. Check out www.blood.co.uk for further details on donating blood.