> The organ donor register is a computerised database of around 16 million people in the UK who have decided that after their death they want to leave a legacy of life for others.

> Even if people carry a donor card in a purse or wallet, they should still sign up to the register because cards get lost and you may not be carrying it when you are taken to hospital.

> For a succesful transplant an organ must be a right ‘match’, which means the blood group, tissue type, age and weight of the donor will be taken into account.

> Organs cannot be accepted unless they are freely donated. You cannot specify by race, religion, age, gender or sexuality.

> People of any race can donate organs. Organs are matched by blood group and tissue type (for kidney transplants) so patients from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a close match.

> Cumbrian patients travel to the Manchester Royal Infirmary for a kidney transplant and either the Freeman in Newcastle or Wythenshawe in Manchester for heart or lung transplants.