ATHLETICS these days is about fame and finance. But for those taking part in the British Transplant Games, celebrity and money mean nothing compared to the celebration of a second chance at life. Andrew Mosley looks at just how vital organ donation can be.

DAVE Clarke is the perfect example of the importance of carrying an Organ Donor Card.

In December 2001 Dave's kidney failed and his life was at risk -- but he was about to receive the best Christmas present he could have hoped for.

On December 24 a kidney became available and a transplant was carried out at Manchester's Hope Hospital.

Since that day the 40-year-old Thornleigh Salesian College information technology teacher has never looked back.

Four months later he was at the British Transplant games in Loughborough, competing in the badminton. He left with a silver medal and last year, in Stoke, took gold.

This weekend he hopes to repeat that success at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, where he is competing in the games for the third year running.

Following that, he will go on to compete in the World Games next year in Toronto, Canada.

The former rugby player, who lives in Horwich, suffered kidney failure following a heart operation in 2000. The transplant came after months of undergoing renal dialysis.

Organisers have billed this weekend's games, which run until Sunday as a "celebration of life".

Mr Clarke, who will compete in the badminton, tennis and golf, agrees.

He said: "The games has really helped me keep fit and meet other people who have been in the same situation. The kidney operation was amazing. I was up and about on Christmas Day and was being told to slow down. It was a total difference because I hated having dialysis.

"All I knew was that the kidney came from down south and I was given the option of writing to the donor family. I sent a thank-you letter and got a letter back."

Mr Clarke has kept in touch with the donor family ever since.

The main message from organisers of the games is that "it's the taking part that counts, not the winning".

Chairman of the British Transplant Games Mike Wixey said: "The games highlight the benefits of organ donations.

"Hundreds of transplant recipients take part in the games every year, proving that they take their second chance at life by the horns and live it to the full."

The games were first held in 1978 with the aim of demonstrating the benefits of a successful organ transplant and to show how well patients can be rehabilitated after surgery.

Every year they have grown and now more than 50 teams from around the UK compete in the annual event, with those taking part ranging from five to 75 years old.

Events include swimming, running, badminton, bowls, cycling, darts, golf, a mini-marathon, snooker, squash, table tennis, tennis, ten-pin bowling, volleyball, cricket ball throwing , the high jump, long jump and shot putt -- in short, something for everyone.

Organisers this year say the aim is to use the games to boost organ donation, encourage patients to "live life to the full" thank donors and promote research.

Figures show that between April 2002 and March 2003, the highest number of organ transplants in six years -- 2,777 -- were carried out as a result of the generosity of 1,164 donors.

However, it is still not enough. UK Transplant -- the NHS organisation responsible for encouraging people to join the Organ Donor Register -- say more donors are needed as the number of people waiting for a transplant has increased by almost a third over the past decade.

Medical director Chris Rudge said: "There is a critical shortage of donated organs.

"More than 7,000 people in the UK need an organ transplant to save or dramatically improve their life. "But the shortage of donors means that only about 2,700 transplants take place each year.

"Every year nearly 400 people die while waiting for a suitable organ to become available and many others lose their lives before they even get on to the transplant list.

"One of the reasons for the shortage is that many people have not thought about donation or discussed it with their families.

"Most people who refuse consent for their relative's organs to be used say 'no' because they have never discussed organ and tissue donation and simply do not know what their loved one would have wanted."

ORGAN DONOR FACTFILE

Research shows that 90 per cent of people in the UK support the principle of organ donation -- but only about 18 per cent have got around to registering their wishes on the Organ Donor Register (ODR)

10.9 million people are currently signed up to the ODR, butThe NHS wants to increase this to 16 million by 2010.

In 1994 171 organ donors died as result of a crash compared to 89 in 2002 -- a 48 per cent drop.

More 16-18-year-olds join the ODR than any other age group and the majority of them enrol through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency scheme, which involves sending out registration forms with licence applications. This year it has extended the scheme to vehicle tax reminders.

The average time an adult waits for a liver transplant is 60 days, while the wait for a kidney is 506 days

Contacts and websites

www.kidney.org.uk

www.transweb.org

You can join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.uktransplant.org.uk or by calling 0845 6060400

National Kidney Foundation helpline: 01909 487795