A TOWN mayor has returned to the region to donate one of his kidneys to his wife.

Chris Hogg, Mayor of Kendal, is undergoing the operation at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle on Thursday, with Rachael, the Lady Mayoress of the Lake District town.

Mr Hogg, 45, is originally from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, and his 47-year-old wife is from Whickham, and also a town councillor in Kendall.

When she was 18, she contracted a virus on holiday in Italy that caused both kidneys to fail and three years later, after treatment and dialysis, Mrs Hogg had her kidney transplant.

But now, 25 years on, she is in need of another and it turned out her husband, who is a cabinet member of South Lakeland District Council, was a match for her blood type – 0+.

He said: “I did not really have any reservations about being a donor.

“We looked into it about five years ago. Our son is 16 now so he could look after himself if he needed to, but at the time he was 11, which was more of a concern if something went wrong for both of us. On a personal level it is just what you do.”

“I am looking forward to the operation now because the waiting has been the hard part. It sounds strange, but the important side of things is how we work as a family.

“It got to the point where there were all sorts of things she was finding hard to do and getting tired very easily, but once we get the next few months out of the way we should be able to do what we want, which will be really nice.”

Mrs Hogg has not let her condition stop her living a full life and, as well as working as a business support manager for the Mental Health Care Group in Cumbria, she is also a tennis and volleyball and tennis champion at the British Transplant Games.

She said: “I am a little bit nervous about the operation, but I am very privileged that Chris is able to be my donor.”

The couple are running a campaign to get 1,000 people in Kendal to sign the organ donor register and to become the country’s first organ donor town, but are keen for other towns to get on board.

To find out more email kendalorgandonortown@gmail.com and to become an organ donor log on to: www.organdonation.nhs.uk