HAVE a Heart - and become an organ donor.
This week the Macclesfield Express is appealing to our readers to pledge their organs to give others the gift of life.
And leading the way - along with other local bigwigs who are helping to launch the "Have a heart" campaign - is our very own Express newspaper editor Mike Quilley.
Macclesfield MP Sir Nicholas Winterton; The Divisional Commander of Macclesfield Police, Superintendent Penny Wilson; High Sheriff of Cheshire John Richards; Macclesfield Council Chief Executive David Parr; the Deputy Mayor of Macclesfield Councillor Joan Barnes; Macclesfield Council Leader Peter Burns, Macclesfield Council's Director of Health and Safety Emma Alexander; the Rector of Gawsworth Bishop William Phwaiso have also registered themselves as donors.
It is a truly magnificent start to a truly magnificent campaign organised in conjunction with Macclesfield Council and Macclesfield Hospital.
And other local dignitaries are expected to follow suit as part of a nationwide initiative aimed at encouraging people, young and old, to sign up to become an organ donor.
Sir Nick said: I am delighted the Macclesfield Express has launched this innovative and worthwhile scheme to increase organ donation in the community.
"I have tremendous sympathy for those people awaiting organ transplants and I am aware of the huge demand which the current transplant system is desperately trying to meet and the inevitable long-waiting list for operations.
"I would certainly encourage every reader to give serious consideration to becoming an organ donor."
Mike Quilley, editor of the Macclesfield Express newspaper and sister papers at Wilmslow and Knutsford, said: I am proud to be backing this campaign. We all know the great sadness we feel when we lose someone close to us. Giving others the chance of life by being prepared to donate our organs is the least we can do for others.
"I hope everyone in Macclesfield borough rallies behind this cause. It will take just a few minutes to fill in the coupon opposite. Together we can make a real difference."
The Deputy Mayor of Macclesfield Councillor Joan Barnes - who is a former midwife - said: "These days so much has developed medically and it is much more usual to be able to have a transplant.
"A great friend of mine had a heart and lung transplant and he is doing very well. Transplants give people the chance of a much longer life."
She added: "People need to be more aware about registering to be an organ donor. Organs are of no use once you are dead so it is important to put them to good use.
"If someone is an organ donor they are doing good for someone else. At a time of bereavement people don't want to be thinking about something like this so it's important to sort it out beforehand."
The Have a heart campaign is part of a unique partnership which will help provide the gift of life to others.
During the next decade the number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply due to an ageing population and an increase in kidney failure. Scientific advances mean that more people are now able to benefit from a transplant.
Kathy Cowell, chairman of the East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: "We applaud the Macclesfield Express for its community support in spearheading this worthwhile campaign to the public.
"Many people have worldly goods - money, property, treasures - which they would like to pass on to the next generation. The one thing we all have is the gift of life."
And she said that although it was unfortunate that some people had to die unexpectedly or sometimes young, the ultimate legacy was that their organs and other body parts could be used to ensure other people live.
Dr Alan Wills, medical director at the Trust, said that his personal experience proved how important the campaign really was.
He said: "I have seen examples of a life slipping away because an organ donor was not available. By volunteering to join the NHS Donor Organ Register, the people of Macclesfield and East Cheshire are showing that they are prepared to give the greatest public service to their fellow citizens."
By simply putting pen to paper, you could help save the life of one of more than 5,500 people who are currently waiting for a transplant. You could transform or even save their lives.
Emma Alexander, council director of health and safety, said that she hoped people would realise how important the campaign really was.
"This is a really positive appeal and the better publicity that being an organ donor gets, the more it will become the norm rather than the exception," she said.
"We would like to encourage as many people in the area to sign up to register as an organ donor, it will be for the better of the borough."
Launching the campaign are: Dr Alan Wills (Medical Director of East Cheshire NHS Trust), Christine Greenhalgh (Chairman of Eastern Cheshire PCT), Deputy Mayor of Macclesfield Councillor Joan Barnes, Kathy Cowell (Chairman of East Cheshire NHS Trust), Stephanie Turner (Macclesfield Express Health reporter), and Emma Alexander, Macclesfield Council's Director of Health and Safety).
