Member Article

First major sponsor announced for World Transplant Games NewcastleGateshead 2019

Westfield Health has been unveiled the first major sponsor for the 22nd World Transplant Games, set to take place in NewcastleGateshead in 2019.

The Sheffield-based health and wellbeing will support an event which attracts more than 3,000 participants (including athletes and their families and supporters) from over 50 countries, all of whom compete following successful organ and tissue transplants.

Graham Wylie, chair of the World Transplant Games NewcastleGateshead 2019, said: “The World Transplant Games are an inspiring celebration of human courage and physical fitness.

“They demonstrate the extraordinary things that are possible for transplant patients and help to raise awareness of the life-saving gift of organ and tissue donation.

“Westfield Health has been a passionate supporter of transplant sport since 2008, sponsoring the British Transplant Games. I’m delighted they’re continuing to do so by helping provide a stage for the world’s best transplant athletes to perform here in North East England.”

The Westfield Health Charitable Trust has donated more than £14m to the NHS and medically related charities in the past 20 years.

With a decade long track record of supporting transplant sport in the UK, it has sponsored the British Transplant Games since 2008, including the NewcastleGateshead Games held in 2015, last year’s Games in Liverpool and the upcoming Games in Lanarkshire (2017) and Birmingham (2018).

Graham Moore, chairman of Westfield Health, added: “Westfield Health is thrilled to be headline sponsor of the World Transplant Games as they return to the UK for the first time in 22-years.

“The Games are an amazing sporting spectacle but more importantly, they raise vital awareness about organ donation and transplantation.

“At Westfield we’re committed to helping people live healthy, happy lives for longer, so we’re extremely proud to support this truly inspiring event which showcases how transplantation can enable people to do just that.”