One of the world's largest blood banks was officially opened in Filton yesterday by a world-famous heart surgeon.

The £60-million NHS Blood and Transplant facility spanning 5,200 sqm – the size of a football pitch – was completed last year, but became fully operational this month.

Manufacturing 600,000 units of donated blood a year, a third of the country's blood donations, the centre has since become the entire South West region's supplier of blood services.

Unveiling a commemorative plaque, world-famous heart surgeon, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub, who has performed more transplants than any other surgeon in the world, was joined by blood donors and recipients, who shared their stories.

Sir Magdi Yacoub said: "I am delighted to be opening NHSBT's Filton centre. Not only is it a world-class blood manufacturing facility – it is home to cord blood and bone marrow services that meet the needs of sick patients around the world, as well as a wide range of specialised services that are called upon daily by hospitals in the diagnosis and treatment of patients in the NHS."

Home to the NHS Cord Blood Bank, the world's fourth largest internationally accredited cord blood bank, the centre, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, stores more than 13,500 donations of blood, and processes blood for use in 90 hospitals in less than 36 hours.

It also houses The Bristol Institute of Transfusion Science (BITS), and The British Bone Marrow Registry, a register of more than 300,000 potential bone marrow donors, as well as a number of other support services.

The lifegiving centre took two years to build, with building contractors Laing O'Rourke having to raise the entire site because it was on a flood plain, as well as lower their cranes for approaching planes into Filton Airport.

The NHS needs 7,000 units of blood daily to meet hospital demand. Blood collected from sessions across southern England and the Midlands are brought to the Filton site.

You can give blood if you are aged 17-65 and weigh at least seven stone, and 12lb.

● To find your nearest blood donor session, or to book an appointment to give blood, telephone 0845 7711 711. For further information, visit www.blood.co.uk.