Sir Patrick Stewart OBE urges people to be heroes

The video clip, released during National Transplant Week, is a boost to the Be a Hero campaign, which aims to encourage Yorkshire residents to sign the organ donation register.

In Yorkshire alone, there are shockingly around 800 people still waiting for an organ to save their lives. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust hopes the Be a Hero campaign will raise awareness of the need for donors and inspire more people to take two minutes to sign the donor register.

Sir Patrick Stewart said: “I am delighted to be backing this crucial campaign. Anyone can find themselves in a position where they need an organ, so I would encourage everyone in Yorkshire to take two minutes out of their day, sign the organ donor register and Be a Hero.

“It’s remarkable that one person has the potential to save nine lives. Once you’ve signed up it’s really important that you share your wishes with your loved ones, so they know you’re on the register.”

Following the successful launch of Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust’s (LTHT) Yorkshire wide Be A Hero campaign in July, almost 13,000 people have signed the donor register in Yorkshire during the first six weeks of the campaign.

The Leeds Transplant Centre at LTHT has been providing complex specialist organ transplantation services for the Yorkshire and Humber region for over 25 years. It is the third largest liver transplant unit in the UK, a leading centre for ‘live related’ transplants and a regional centre for renal transplants.

You can find out more about organ donation and join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.leedsth.nhs.uk/be-a-hero or by calling 0300 123 23 23 - please remember to reference the Yorkshire Be A Hero campaign.