Don't miss a thing by getting the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox A new rule change will allow more gay and bisexual men to donate blood, platelets and plasma.
Anyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months will be eligible to donate, NHS Blood and Transplant said.
The changes come about as blood donors in Manchester are urged to make and keep appointments to donate over summer, as demand creeps back to normal capacity.
In particular there is a need for more donors with O negative blood - the universal type and one of the rarest blood types, B negative.