TWENTY children and their families who have all experienced the transplant journey came together in Kendal to have fun, try new activities and make friends.

Many will have missed out on all sorts of opportunities due to prolonged ill health but were given the chance to enjoy themselves at the Lakeland Climbing Wall and Kendal Leisure Centre thanks to #GiftOfLife donors.

Many of the young people from Transplant Sport (TS) enjoyed their first ever roped climbing experience with instructors who supervised the children, aged between five and 18.

Kendal Leisure Centre hosted a social event on Saturday evening, and also on Sunday, when a wide range of activities for different age groups was organised in the sports hall - from soft play, parachute play and a bouncy castle, to badminton, boccia, indoor rounder’s, swimming and a wheelchair sport session for the older children.

The aim of Transplant Sport (TS) is to promote a greater awareness and understanding of the benefits of transplantation, and at the same time highlight the desperate need for more people to sign onto the NHS Organ Donor Register. The event was organised in collaboration between Transplant Sport, Kendal Organ Donor Town, Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, Kendal Wall at the Lakeland Climbing Centre, Kendal Leisure Centre (Better Leisure) and BBC Children in Need. y

Malcolm Matthews, TS Children in Need Kids & Teens Co-ordinator said: "It's so important that young people who have had a transplant, or experienced a brother of sister or parent having a transplant, get the chance to make friends with others who have had similar experiences.

"The support you get from having a peer group can make a big difference as you deal with the ups and downs of the transplant journey.

Hopefully, this event will encourage others to sign on the Organ Donor Register."