The PEAK leisure centre in Stirling is teaming up with NHS Forth Valley to support an incredible race that could change lives. Race For Recipients is a UK-wide challenge open to everyone to celebrate Organ and Tissue Donation Week. And it’s up to participants to decide how to clock up the kilometres. Spin, swim, sweep, sprint, saunter, scale or skate. Every kilometre counts!
The race lasts from 6am on Saturday, September 16 until midnight on Sunday, September 24, with these key challenges:
- 9km over the week to represent the nine lives that can be saved by one donor
- 7000km to represent the 7000 people currently waiting for a life-saving transplant in the UK
- 50,000km to represent the number of people living today with a transplant in the UK.
Left to right - Julie Booth, Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation (SNOD), Alison Reed, Tissue donation coordinator, Abigail Short, Clinical Lead for Organ Donation (CLOD), Salma Hussain, Transplant recipient and member at The Peak, Dougie Porteous, Interim Head of Sport, Physical Activity and Inclusion with Active Stirling, and Matt Bunnell, Interim Chief Executive with Active Stirling.
We know our fantastic members and community will get behind this cause and contribute miles through walking, running, cycling, swimming, skating and climbing and no doubt many other ways. Race for Recipients is not only a great way to keep active but helps promote the impact that organ donation has for people in our communities. We encourage everyone to sign up for Race for Recipients and log your miles for NHS Forth Valley.
Register
To join the Forth Valley team all you need to do is register at raceforrecipients.com Add your region as ‘Scotland’ and team as ‘NHS Forth Valley’.
Just log your distance during R4R week. With your help, Forth Valley hopes to cross the finishing line as No1 in the UK.
Race for Recipients is all about raising awareness and encouraging people to register their decision regarding donation on the Organ Donor Register. It is free to enter and sponsorship is not needed.
In Scotland around 500 people on average are waiting on a transplant. Only 1% of people will die in a way that makes organ donation possible which is usually in an intensive care unit meaning every organ and tissue gift is precious. Registering your decision and sharing it with loved ones is important as it will make it easier for family and friends to honour it.