MORE than 16,000 generous people in Bolton have signed up to be organ donors in the past five years.

There are now 82,435 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in Bolton, compared to 66,189 in 2012.

The new figures were revealed as it was announced that the UK-wide number of people alive thanks to transplants has reached the milestone figure of 50,000, 2,218 of which are in Greater Manchester.

Heather Edwards, of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re very pleased to see that the number of people in Bolton on the organ donor register has risen.

“We encourage families to talk about this and to consider the difference a donation can make to the recipient – in some cases it is quality of life, in others it is life itself.

“Bereaved families often find donation is a comfort as it brings something positive out of a sad situation.”

Nationally, the number of people on the NHS Organ Donor Register reached a record number, 23.6 million — which represents 36 per cent of the population.

However, despite the record breaking public commitment to donation, there is still a shortage of organ donors. Three people still die every day in the UK who are in need of a transplant.

Sally Johnson, director of organ donation and transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It’s amazing to picture all the people now alive today thanks to organ donation and think of all the families and children who have grown up thanks to donors.

“We’re seeing more and more people committing to donation and the good results of our close work with hospitals. Our specialist nurses in organ donation are now almost always involved in discussions with families over organ donation.

“However there is still a long way to go. Around three people still die a day in need of a transplant. Every one of those people who die could be a mother or a father, a daughter or a son, who might be alive today.”

Join the organ donor register at organdonation.nhs.uk