NHS Blood and Transplant has launched a campaign to encourage people to tell their family if they want to be an organ donor.

In Gloucestershire, 34 residents have died due to the shortage of organs in the last five years and there are currently 115 people in the county waiting for a transplant.

The campaign, launched during National Transplant Week which runs until Sunday, is asking people to spell out their decision to donate by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register and by having a conversation with their family.

The decision to donate a loved one’s organs falls to the family if the person dies in circumstances where they can donate.

Sally Johnson, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said:

“Last year 43 people living in Gloucestershire benefited from a life-saving organ transplant thanks to families making the decision to donate when a loved one died, a decision that we know makes them incredibly proud.

“We know that families are much less likely to allow organ donation to go ahead if they don’t know it’s what their loved one wanted.

“To help more people we need everyone, even if you’re one of the 322,050 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in Gloucestershire, to tell those closest to you that you want to donate your organs. Please have the conversation and spell it out.”

For details about National Transplant Week and to register your organ donation decision,visit transplantweek.co.uk.