University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is marking Organ Donation Week by shining a light on hospital buildings and turning the skies pink across Morecambe Bay.
During Organ Donation Week (23 - 29 September 2024), the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Furness General Hospital and Westmorland General Hospital will join a number of buildings across the UK being lit up pink to help raise awareness of organ donation and encourage people to add their name to the NHS Organ Donor Register.
A team from UHMBT will also be taking part in the national Turn the Peaks Pink challenge on Friday 27 September as part of the awareness week. The challenge will see campaigners, transplant recipients and families of donors carry photographs of their loved ones to the summit of Snaefell on the Isle of Man, Scafell Pike in England, Ben Nevis in Scotland, Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland, and Pen y Fan and Yr Wyddfa in Wales.
Every day someone in the UK dies waiting for a transplant due to a shortage of people donating. Right now, there are around 7,000 people waiting for a transplant. However, as only 1,400 people die in circumstances where organ donation is possible, every donation is precious and can make such a difference.
As the NHS Organ Donor Register turns 30 this year, it’s just as important as ever to add your name and decision, because families are more likely to support the decision of someone who has done so. It only takes 2 minutes, and you could go on to save up to nine lives.
Get more information and register your donation decision at www.organdonation.nhs.uk