Gift of Life campaign takes to the stage at Kendal school (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Gift of Life campaign takes to the stage at Kendal school

9:40am Thursday 11th November 2010 in Gift Of Life By Kate Proctor, Reporter

‘WAITING’ TO START: A-level drama students, front, Siobhan Callaghan, Josh Burnell and Sarah Allen (playing reporter Kate Proctor). At the back are Hannah Plant, Rosie Barber and Dan Plant

DRAMA students inspired by The Westmorland Gazette’s Gift of Life campaign, which aims to tackle Cumbria’s shortage of organ donors, have devised a play exploring the topic.

Waiting will be performed by Queen Katherine School’s A-level drama students tonight from 7pm in the school’s drama studio.

Hannah Plant, 17, said: “We read so many amazing stories in the paper about people donating their organs and brave stories of people on the waiting list that we thought it was something we could explore through theatre.

“We’ve learnt so much about all the arguments surrounding organ donation and it’s influenced us all in a big way.

"I think nearly all of us have now joined the register and we hope the audience will leave wanting to know more about it.”

The hour-long play is in the ‘verbatim’ style where the script is constructed from the precise words spoken during interviews, including one with Gazette reporter Kate Proctor, who runs the campaign.

The students interviewed varied sources including MP Tim Farron, a teacher who has donated bone marrow and a Jehovah’s Witness, whose religion discourages organ donation because they do not agree with blood transfusions.

Mr Farron also raised the issue in this week’s Parliamentary Health Question Time.

He said: “The campaign by the Westmorland Gazette has worked brilliantly in raising awareness of the need for more organ donors and at encouraging people to sign up to the register to help save thousands of lives.

“What we need the government to do is ensure that effective procedures and proper training for staff is in place in hospitals like Westmorland General Hospital to ensure that families of potential organ donors are encouraged to use their own personal tragedy to give hope to so many others.”

Drama teacher Caroline Barber said the students were excited to know that representatives from the NHS Blood and Transplant team and staff from the paper would be in the audience.

She said: “They were really inspired by the Gift of Life campaign and have created a really interesting play.”

The Westmorland Gazatte’s senior content editor Andrew Thomas said: “It’s great to hear that the campaign has been an inspiration to the school’s drama students and that young people are interested in such an important issue.

"I wish the students the best of luck with their performance and thank them for supporting our campaign.”

Only 19.5 per cent of the population in Cumbria are on the organ donor register which is 10 per cent below the national average.

Since the campaign launched in May more than 1,500 people have signed up.

To sign the organ donor register visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk.