The Yorkshire Post to be official media partner of 2021 Westfield Health British Transplant Games

The event, which gives the transplant community a chance to recognise the gift of life they have received from donors and donor families, will take place in venues across the city from August 5 to 8 next year.

It also showcases the benefits of remaining active post-transplant and allows heart, lung, liver, kidney and other transplant recipients to compete in a wide variety of sporting events.

Transplant athletes aged from three to over 80 will travel from across the UK to West Yorkshire next summer to reunite after the 2020 Games in Coventry, organised on behalf of the charity Transplant Sport, were postponed due to the pandemic.

The announcement was made during a Westfield Health Transplant Games Business Breakfast event, which was hosted by Chair of the Games’ stakeholder board and ASDA’s CEO Roger Burnley and saw almost 100 people attend.

Speakers included representatives from Transplant Sport, Leeds City Council, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Leeds Cares and the Park Lane Foundation as well as The Yorkshire Post’s editor James Mitchinson.

Transplant Sport’s flagship event aims to raise awareness of the life-saving benefits of transplantation, a topic that is more important than ever, now that the laws around organ donation in England and Scotland changed to an ‘opt-out’ system in May.

Dr Paul Harden, Chair of Trustees for Transplant Sport, said: “We’re so excited that The Yorkshire Post is on board as official media partner. The cancellation of this summer’s Games has been incredibly disappointing for our transplant community.

"Although we have absolutely made the right decision to keep them all safe, many were very much looking forward to the Coventry Games and having the opportunity to see each other again.

"We’re so excited that the Games are going to be back next summer in Leeds, we think they’re going to be better than ever and can’t wait to share some inspirational stories with Yorkshire Post readers!”

James Mitchinson, editor of The Yorkshire Post, said: "The British Transplant Games bring together under one roof the very best of us. It is a celebration of life through sport, but more importantly through collective enjoyment.

"There is a saying that goes, nobody wants to be a part of the transplant club but once you're in, you're in for life. That is such an important message and I am genuinely looking forward to telling the stories of those competing in the games but also helping people to have the conversations needed so that we can all better understand the donor debate."