A campaigning mum and Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price took to Grays High Street last Friday to urge people to talk to their families about their organ donation wishes.

Patricia Carroll, the heartbroken mum of Natalie Carroll, who died age 38 due to the lack of an organ donor was on hand to help raise awareness of the emotive issue.

The campaign was in aid of National Organ Donation last week.

Last year, 95 people received a transplant in Essex, according to the recently published Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report for 2015-16.

But research has shown that many more lives across the UK would be saved if family members were aware of their relative’s wish to donate their organs.

Patricia, who lives in Aveley, lost Natalie to lifelong diabetes type 1 in January 2014, after Natalie, then 38, developed kidney and pancreas problems.

Patricia described the agony of watching her daughter die and being unable to help, as her own kidney was not deemed to be a suitable match for her daughter.

For the NHS, one key challenge is getting family members’ permission after someone dies in circumstances where their organs could be donated.

The law applies even if that person is already logged on the database.

Research has shown that only 47 percent of families agree to organ donation if they are unaware of their relative’s decision to be a donor.

Yet almost 90 percent of families give their consent when the decision to be an organ donor is known, according to NHS Blood and Transplant figures.

The VIPs talked to members of the public along with volunteers and Mayor Cathy Kent, Deputy Mayor Tunde Ojetola and Councillor Robert Ray.

Mayor of Thurrock, Councillor Cathy Kent said: “Organ donation is really important and I encourage people to sign up.

“Signing up is quick and easy but the key message is – talk to your family about what your and their choice will be. It is much easier to have the conversation ahead of any difficult times.”

Portfolio Holder for Health, Councillor James Halden said: “Organ donation is a relatively rare event in the UK, because although around half a million people die each year, only around 1 per cent does so in circumstances which allow organs to be donated.

“The week is here to prompt family conversations about organ donation so your relatives know what you would have wanted and can supporting your decision to be an organ donor and save lives.

“I’m proud to have signed up and if you have any questions, visit the website for more information. It only took 60 seconds and that minute could one day give someone years extra to live.”

He added: “While we encourage everyone to have the conversation, there is a particular need for more Black and Asian families to talk about organ donation.”

BAME patients make up a third of the active kidney transplant waiting list.

Although some are able to receive a transplant from a white donor, for many the best match will come from a donor from the same ethnic background, the NHS said.

The need to recruit more Black and Asian people is due to susceptibility to conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and certain types of hepatitis, making them more likely to need a transplant.

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323.