This is by far the best donor place I've been to, and have been going here now for a year.
Bonus for me is that it's open until 7:30 Monday to Thursday and 5:30 on Friday. It's only 10 minutes for me to get there from work and it means that I don't have to take time from my work day to do it.
It is a walk in centre but you'll find that a lot of the more convenient time slots are filled up weeks in advance, and they just don't have the capacity for more people. If you want to donate, I suggest you go online and book a slot to avoid disappointment (talking about you, Mr 'I'm so important that you need to take my blood now and why can't you make space for me instead of all these people who actually made a plan to be here').
The staff are friendly and professional, they do have trainees here but you'll always be asked if it's okay before they 'practice' on you, you can always go for the expert option. I have a good vein so normally go for the trainee (better to let them train, right?) but one poor girl had to try 4 times before she got it right...
With it being a permanent centre, it's well laid out and they can take 7 people at a time, there's always someone manning the recovery area, and you can arrange your next appointment while you're there.
Always amusing to see people faint, especially when they were asking for it (I've seen a couple of friends racing to fill their bags, ended with both passing out...). read more