WHILE residents across the town are looking forward to spending Christmas with their loved ones and exchanging presents, 104 people in Cheshire are hoping for a different kind of gift this Christmas as they wait for an organ transplant.

This December, NHS Blood and Transplant is running the Christmas List campaign, to draw attention to the thousands of people who are waiting for a transplant across the UK and to encourage everyone to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

New figures have revealed 48 patients in Cheshire have died while on the transplant waiting list during the past five years while 67 patients in Cheshire have received a transplant already this year thanks to families agreeing to donate a loved one’s organs.

Sally Johnson, director of organ donation and transplantation, said: “When you are spending time with your loved ones this Christmas, please take a few minutes to sign the Organ Donor Register, and tell your family you’d be proud to become a donor.

"By telling those closest to you that you want to donate you will remove the burden of them having to guess what you would have wanted at a difficult time.”

Visit organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 23 or text SAVE to 62323.