Companies and organisations in Gloucestershire are encouraging their employees to join the Organ Donation Register to save lives.

To coincide with the start of NHS Blood and Transplant's Organ Donation Week, Gloucestershire's Organ Donation Committee has started recruiting employers to help provide more life-saving opportunities.

One of the companies supporting the initiative is Renishaw, Gloucestershire's largest private sector employer with over 2,500 staff at their sites.

Chris Pockett, Renishaw's communications manager, said: "We are very pleased to support Organ Donation Week, and help communicate to our staff the importance of confirming their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donation Register."

Another supporter of the initiative is the Moog Aircraft Group at Tewkesbury where general manager Mark Lawton said: "Organ donation is an important topic and something that we know our Moog team will be keen to support."

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College are also supporting through their students and staff.

Vice principal Liam Evans said: "We hope to raise awareness amongst staff and learners so they understand the positive impact of organ donation and encourage as many people as possible to sign up."

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust have sent a message to all their 9,000 employees encouraging them to sign up to the Organ Donation Register.

"Our message is very simple", said Mark Haslam, consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine as well as the county's clinical lead for organ donation.

"Just take two minutes to sign up to save up to nine lives. Giving someone the gift of life is surely the greatest gift you can give."

Gloucestershire County Council are also encouraging their staff to sign up to the ODR and Stagecoach are printing bus tickets with the Organ Donation Register registration-organdonation.nhs.uk