Sign Up and Change a Life

Media Release

The PEAK leisure centre in Stirling is teaming up with NHS Forth Valley to support an incredible race that could change lives.

Race For Recipients is a UK-wide challenge open to everyone to celebrate Organ and Tissue Donation Week. And it’s up to participants to decide how to clock up the kilometres. Spin, swim, sweep, sprint, saunter, scale or skate. Every kilometre counts!

The race lasts from 6am on Saturday 16th September until midnight on Sunday 24th September 2023 with teams aiming for one of the following targets – each representing a meaningful milestone:

  • Travel 9km over the week to represent the 9 lives that can be saved by one donor
  • 7000km to represent the 7000 people currently waiting for a life-saving transplant in the UK
  • 50,000km to represent the number of people living today with a transplant in the UK.

Dougie Porteous, Interim Head of Sport, Physical Activity and Inclusion, with Active Stirling, commented: “We know our fantastic members and community will get behind this cause and contribute miles through walking, running, cycling, swimming, skating and climbing and no doubt many other ways. Race for Recipients is not only a great way to keep active but helps promote the impact that organ donation has for people in our communities. We encourage everyone to sign up for Race for Recipients and log your miles for NHS Forth Valley.

Dr Abigail Short, clinical lead for organ donation in NHS Forth Valley, added “I am really excited about our partnership with Active Stirling in delivering the message about organ and tissue donation to such a wide community and using sport as means of doing this. The Race4Recipients is a great, fun competition between health boards and highlights the importance of organ and tissue donation within the NHS and healthcare. Last year we had just under 100 racers covering 11,440km over 9 days. This year I’m hoping to go bigger and further with more racers involved.”

To join the Forth Valley team all you need to do is register at https://raceforrecipients.com, click Join the Race, add your region as ‘Scotland’ and team as NHS Forth Valley. Just log your distance during Race for Recipients week. With your help, NHS Forth Valley hopes to cross the finishing line as No1 in the UK.

Race for Recipients is all about raising awareness and encouraging people to register their decision regarding donation on the Organ Donor Register. It is free to enter and sponsorship is not needed.

In Scotland, around 500 people on average are waiting on a transplant. Only 1% of people will die in a way that makes organ donation possible which is usually in an intensive care unit meaning every organ gift is precious. The figures for tissue donation are somewhat higher. Registering your decision and sharing it with loved ones is important as it will make it easier for family and friends to honour it.

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Photo caption: Back row (L- R) Alison Reed, NHS Forth Valley Tissue donation coordinator, Dr Abigail Short, NHS Forth Valley Clinical Lead for Organ Donation, Salma Hussain, Transplant recipient and member at The Peak and Julie Booth, NHS Forth Valley Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation. Front row (L- R) Matt Bunnell, Interim Chief Executive with Active Stirling and Dougie Porteous, Interim Head of Sport, Physical Activity and Inclusion with Active Stirling