A HOSPITAL chief executive is signing up to be an organ donor in a bid to attract more volunteers.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the national organ donor register, and a campaign has been launched to raise the profile of the life-saving service.

David Fillingham, chief executive of Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, signed on the dotted line at the Royal Bolton Hospital on Thursday - and issued a plea to the people of Bolton to do likewise.

Mr Fillingham said the campaign was also an opportunity for people who had received life-saving organ transplants to thank donors and their families.

Deborah Davidson, the mother of 14-year-old Emma Standish, who had a life-saving heart transplant in 2000, said the donation had changed their lives.

"It's given Emma a second chance of life," she said. "We all carry donor cards with us now. It's something you don't think about until it happens in your own family."

Mrs Davidson said that Emma, her twin brother Adam and her older brother Christopher, aged 19, all hoped that more people would sign up to the register.

Fiona Wilkinson, donor liaison sister, said Bolton had been leading the way in organ donation.

Ms Wilkinson said: "From April 1 we will have a donor support team on site to ensure that everyone will be given the opportunity to donate."

She added that when she started in her post in 2002 they had very few tissue donors. Tissue donation includes eyes, skin and bones.

Since then there have been 75 tissue donations.

The trust gives their donated eyes to the Manchester eye bank.

Ms Wilkinson said that even more will be done when the donor support team starts its work in intensive care.

She added: "It means that for every patient that dies, the family are approached about donation."

The trust is also approaching those who are suitable to get more multi-organ donors, including hearts, lungs and kidneys.

Ms Wilkinson said: "I really believe that by raising awareness the public will know we offer these services and will not be frightened to approach us."

UK Transplant has launched a challenge to add one million more life-savers to the register in its tenth year.

You can join the NHS Organ Donor Register by telephoning the Organ Donor Line on 0845 60 60 400 or by visiting www.uktransplant.org.uk