LONDON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- British stocks rose on Friday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 Index up 21.27 points or 0.30 percent at 7,224.51 points.

NMC Health, the multinational health care company, soared 4.52 percent, the top gainer of the blue chips. Ashtead Group and GKN rose by 3.37 percent and 3.25 percent, respectively.

WPP, the British multinational advertising and public relations company, was the worst performer in the blue chips, with its shares losing 2.11 percent. Paddy Power Betfair, a large British bookmaking business, dropped 1.44 percent. Shire, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, dropped 1.12 percent. Enditem