KENDAL’S new Mayor has set out an ambitious plan to make Kendal a ‘donor town’ during his year in office.

Cllr Chris Hogg said he will use this year to get at least 1,000 people in the town to sign the National Organ Donor Register.

Later this year, the 44-year-old will go under the knife to donate one of his kidneys to wife of 17 years Rachael, who is also a town councillor.

Now he is appealing for the people of Kendal, and the rest of south Cumbria, to follow suit.

“Currently 11,000 people in the town are registered organ donors, and my goal is to make that 12, 000,” he said.

“It’s an ambitious goal – it works out to about three a day – so I’m appealing for people to help me champion this cause.

“If you have a business please ask your employees to sign the register online, if you are a member of a club or society please encourage other members to sign up.”

There are currently 75 people in Cumbria on the waiting list for a transplant, with a third of the county’s residents signed up as donors – in line with the national average.

Cllr Hogg has asked the organ donor service for criteria on officially becoming a donor town.

“It’s unclear whether there’s ever been one before and we’re hoping it’s something that could take off and spread,” he said.

In 2010 The Westmorland Gazette launched its Gift of Life campaign, which encouraged people to register to donate their organs. It was a major success, with thousand of readers joining the register.

An early supporter of Cllr Hogg’s campaign is Amanda Charlton, of Lupton, whose brother Andrew was killed in a cycling accident in August 2014.

After his death five people on the donor waiting list received life-changing transplants.

Andrew’s son Oscar also suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, meaning he is likely to need a lung transplant one day.

“It was a strange comfort knowing that my brother’s body helped give other people life,” Amanda said.

“It makes me really proud of his decision to do that, and to make his wishes clear to his wife.

“Everyone in my family knows I carry a donor card, which was inspired both by my brother’s death and the fact that his son’s life may one day depend on someone doing the same as his dad did.”

A spokesman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We are grateful for Cllr Chris and Rachael Hogg’s valuable support because there is a real shortage of donated organs – nationally, three people die every day in need of an organ transplant.

"We urge people to join the Organ Donor Register online at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or by calling 0300 123 23 23."