Players from Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Team and Coventry Rugby Club will be joining Councillor Jack Harrison, Deputy Lord Mayor in getting on their bikes this week to raise awareness of World Kidney Day and organ transplantation. 

The guests will join volunteers at the West Orchards Shopping Centre in Coventry on World Kidney Day, Thursday 12 March, to cycle 90 miles on exercise bikes. 

The event is being organised by the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, which are due to take place in Coventry this summer. The University of Warwick will be home to the Games Village for more than 600 athletes and 1,500 supporters from all over the UK.

Last year the Games took place in Sheffield and the 90 mile target is the distance from Sheffield to Coventry. 

Shoppers are invited to come and support the volunteers at West Orchards as they cycle in shifts from 9.00am until 5.30pm. 

Amongst those taking part will be five times World Masters Cycling Champion and 64 times British Champion Mick Ives. Mick is the organiser of the cycling events for the Westfield Health British Transplant Games and he will also be hitting the saddle at West Orchards to complete 90 miles on his own. 

The Westfield Health British Transplant Games will take place from 30 July until 2 August 2009 at venues across Coventry and they are being organised by the charity Transplant Sport UK. As well as the University of Warwick, the Games are also being supported by Coventry City Council and Coventry University. 

All of the athletes taking part in the Games have had organ transplants and the aim is to encourage promote awareness of the need for more people to sign on to the NHS Organ Donor Register. There are currently 10,000 people waiting for organ transplants in the UK, 500 of these live in the West Midlands and many will die waiting. 

The Local Organising Committee and the charity Transplant Sport UK has set a target of getting 19,000 signatures on the NHS Organ Donor Register from Coventry and Warwickshire by September 2009. That would be an increase of 5,000 signatures for the same period when the Games are not being hosted in the City, reducing the number of deaths in the region every year due to the shortage of Organ Donors.

Peter Ford, Chair of Transplant Sport UK, said: “The current gap between those waiting for a transplant and people on the register is increasing and we are becoming more and more desperate for donors. The event will help people to understand why it is so important to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. We are really looking forward to bringing the Games to Coventry and we are confident we can hit our 19,000 target.”

Councillor Jack Harrison, Deputy Lord Mayor of Coventry, added: "I'm confident Coventrians and the people of Warwickshire will show their support for this event, as your support is vital to its success and will contribute to the 19,000 signature target." 

Notes to editors
There will be a photo opportunity at 12.30pm at West Orchards Shopping Centre when players from Coventry Rugby Club and Blaze Ice Hockey Team will be on the bikes. Mick Ives will also be aiming to complete the full 90 miles on his own within four hours.

 For more information contact Kelly Parkes-Harrison, Communications Officer, University of Warwick, 02476 150483, 07824 540863, k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk