Mayor of Exmouth Steve Gazzard will be relaunching his organ donor sign-up campaign this Saturday on New Year's Day.

He began campaigning in Exmouth in 2012 after his daughter Sarah died while waiting for a double lung transplant.

A new opt-out law for organ donation came into effect in England in May 2020 - but the mayor believes it has not had the desired outcome.

He said that he was 'over the moon' when the new law was passed, but there seems to be an 'anomaly'. According to the NHS, relatives can still refuse organ donation and overturn your decision if they're not sure what you want.

Cllr Gazzard said: "I thought after nine years we've actually achieved what we wanted to, and the promise that I made to Sarah that we would try and get the law changed.

"It seems to me that we haven't achieved what we've wanted to achieve for my late daughter.

"What's happening is when somebody passes away, they still talk to the next of kin, and they're saying 'I didn't know that my relative wished to donate their organs'. When they check on their list, they haven't rung in and said which organs they'd like to donate.

"We don't seem to have moved forward, although the concept of the new law seems to be good.

"I've got a meeting arranged with our MP Simon Jupp, to go through the issues with him and ask him if he can raise the whole issue in Parliament. We're hoping to meet him in February."

The mayor will be in the Magnolia Centre outside the former Dorothy Perkins shop this Saturday 1 January from 11am-4pm, weather permitting, with organ donation forms for anyone who wants to sign up.

You can also sign up online on the NHS website here.

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