BOLTON’S top brass have given their backing to The Bolton News’ campaign urging people to Sign Up To Save Lives.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Cliff Morris and chief executive Sean Harriss are confident the campaign can achieve its goal of encouraging 5,000 people to sign up to the NHS organ donor register.

There are 67,490 people from Bolton on the register and one of those is Cllr Morris. He said: “It is a very important thing and I carry a card myself — I believe the campaign can achieve over the 5,000 people that you are aiming for.

“When you look at the people whose lives are saved by organ donation then you realise just how important it is.”

There are more than 60 people in Bolton who are in desperate need of an organ donation.

They have had their lives put on hold and rely on drugs and medical interventions to keep them alive until a suitable organ match can be found.

The campaign has been launched in the same year that the Westfield Health British Transplant Games are due to be held in Bolton in August.

The competition will see 1,000 athletes who have benefited from successful transplants taking part in a wide range of sporting events at venues across the borough from August 7 to 14.

Mr Harriss said he believes that the games being held in Bolton provides the “perfect opportunity” to promote the benefits or organ donation.

He said: “I am very happy to support The Bolton News’s Sign up to Save a Life campaign.

“I think you can see the huge impact that organ donation can have on the quality of people’s lives.

“Having the British Transplant Games coming to Bolton is great in itself and great for the town — but it also provides the perfect opportunity to really promote the benefits of organ donation.”