Appeal for people to make organ donor wishes known after NHS Blood and Transplant reveals 14 people waiting for an organ transplant in Newark and Sherwood

New statistics show that there are 14 people waiting for an organ transplant in Newark and Sherwood, and the UK’s organ donor charity is urging people to donate their organs to save lives when they die.

As previously reported in the Advertiser, Leon Kieran Bell, 16, died following a single-vehicle collision in Collingham after he lost control of his scooter.

Leon’s family revealed that just two weeks prior to his death, he had signed up to be an organ donor because he knew motorcycles could be dangerous, and saved four people's lives with his heart, kidney, and liver.

In 2020, the law was changed so that it was automatically considered that you will donate organs when you die.

Here in Newark and Sherwood, NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed that there are 14 people waiting for an organ transplant (as of the end of September 2025), and that five people from the area received an organ transplant because of a deceased organ donor in 2024/2025.

However, less than five people from the borough died and donated their organs in that time period.

Across Nottinghamshire, there are 135 people currently waiting for an organ transplant, and six people died waiting for an organ transplant in the year 2024/202

NHS Blood and Transplant is now appealing for all those who have not registered what should happen with their organs after they die to do so, and to make their families aware of their wishes.

You can visit the NHS Organ Donor Register website, at https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-your-decision/, where you can decide whether you would like to donate some or all of your organs and tissue, or register your decision to opt out of donating your organs when you die.

There are 67,754 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register from Newark and Sherwood — 64,293 have opted in and 3,461 have opted out.

Across the county, there are 496,100 Nottinghamshire people on the NHS Organ Donor Register, with 455,218 opting in, and 40,876 have opted out. Six people have appointed a representative to carry out their wishes when they die.

Anthony Clarkson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “It’s really concerning to see the numbers of people waiting for a transplant slowly rising and people are dying needlessly every day because of the shortage of organs for transplant. We really need people who want to be a donor after they die to make it clear to their families and encourage them to support that decision.

“Last year, 90% of families honoured their loved one's decision to become a donor when they had recorded their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register, which made those conversations with families so much easier. People are far more likely to support donation when they know it’s what their relative wanted.

“I would urge everyone who supports organ donation to register their decision and make it clear that it’s what you want should the worst happen. It only takes two minutes to register but it could save the lives of people who so desperately need a transplant. Please sign up. It’s the best thing you’ll do today.”