FRESH figures show a quarter of Greater Manchester’s new organ donors this year are from Bolton — with nearly 2,800 now Signed up To Save Lives.

The stats, from NHS Blood and Transplant, show of the 11,904 new donors in Greater Manchester in 2014, 2,762 are from Bolton, almost 24 per cent.

In July, 616 Boltonians signed up — but more lifesavers are still needed.

The Bolton News is campaigning for 5,000 more people from the town to sign the donor register in the year that the British Trans-plant Games were hosted here.

Health chiefs have praised our campaign and the people of Bolton for signing up but said 10,000 people across the UK are still waiting for a transplant.

Dr Stephen Liversedge, clinical director for primary care and health improvement at NHS Bolton Clinical Comm-issioning Group (CCG), said: “I am pleased that so many people in Bolton have registered as an organ donor and I hope many more will decide to do so.

“Around 10,000 people across the UK are currently in need of an organ transplant, so more donors are needed.

“An organ transplant can dramatically improve and even save the life of someone who is seriously ill.

“NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group sup-ported the British Transplant Games when it came to our borough in August and continues to back the Bolton News campaign.”

Bolton hosted the 2014 British Transplant Games from August 7 to August 10, with nearly 800 benefic-iaries of transplant oper-ations flocking to the town to compete in sports rang-ing from athletics to darts.

Andrew Eddy, president of Transplant Sport, said: “I would like to express heart-felt gratitude to the great people of Bolton following the excellent Transplant Games.

“The friendly atmosphere could not have been more welcoming.”

Mr Eddy, himself saved by a transplant operation five years ago, added: “I congratulate the people of Bolton in signing up to the organ donor register. I would also like to thank the Bolton News for their continued support and through their interest in the Games have helped increase the numbers on the register.”