Over the last 30 years more than 4,700 lives in Greater Manchester have been saved and for Bolton that number is more than 500 lives in Bolton district borough.

A total of 279 of those saved in Bolton are still alive today. Sadly 104 people from Bolton have died waiting for a transplant in the last 30 years.

There have been 182 organ donors from Bolton 1994-2024 – both deceased and living and 524 people from Bolton have received an organ transplant 1994-2024 from either a deceased or living donor.

Currently 50 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant who live in Bolton

Five people from Bolton donated their organs after death in 23/24.

And 19 people from Bolton received an organ transplant thanks to a deceased organ donor in 23/24.

There are 91,779 people in Bolton who have said they’d like to donate their organs when they die on the Organ Donor Register

In the North West, 337 patients received a lifesaving transplant from a deceased donor last year and 126 residents donated their organs after death. Many of those had recorded their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. However, the waiting list for a transplant in the UK is higher than ever before, with 850 patients in the region still actively waiting for a lifesaving organ.

Only around one per cent of people who die in the UK every year are usually able to donate their organs after death.

Donors are typically those who have died in a hospital intensive care unit or emergency department due to brain injuries, cardiac arrest or other trauma.

It is vital that everyone who wants to be a donor registers their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and talks it through with their families who will be expected to support their decision should the time come.

Families are far more likely to support donation when they already know it was what their relative wanted. Almost 90 per cent of people honoured their family members decision last year when they had either proactively registered their decision to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register or verbally expressed a decision to be a donor.

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Every day across the UK there are thousands of patients and their families, waiting for that all important life-saving call. Yet, this is often only possible as a result of another family receiving some of the hardest news they might ever have to hear.

“The change in the law now means that it’s assumed that when someone dies in circumstances where they could be a donor, that they agree to donate if they haven’t officially opted out. However, no-one is automatically added to the Organ Donor Register. You still need to confirm your own decision and your family will still be consulted before donation goes ahead and will be expected to support your decision.

“With 850 patients in the North West waiting for organ transplants, it’s more important than ever to register your organ donation decision and make it known to your family.”

For more information, or to register for organ donation visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. NHS app users in England can also use the service to record, check or update their organ donation decision.

In 2023, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust referred 46 people for consideration for organ donation to NHS Blood and Transplant and of those, eight became donors, with four organs helping to save eleven lives.

Figures from the Trust also reveal 27 eye retrievals were received – and each eye can save the sight of up to ten people.

Suzanne Lomax, Clinical Lead for Bereavement at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We’re so grateful to everyone who chooses to give the gift of life to others, and help others, through organ donation.

“It is so important that we all confirm our organ donation decisions to help save even more lives after we die. You can do this really easily on the NHS Blood and Transplant website or through the NHS app."