One of Britain's longest surviving heart transplant recipients has just celebrated a quarter century of life.

Joe Burnside, 75, from Darlington, was one of the first British heart patients to be given a second chance by surgeons.

And last weekend Joe and his wife, Mary,72, joined 1,000 other heart and lung transplant recipients at a big party in the grounds of Harefield Hospital in Middlesex to mark a quarter of a century of transplant surgery.

Remarkably, one of the first people Joe and Mary recognised with the sister who cared for Joe after his operation a quarter of a century ago. Joe, a father three, grandfather and greatgrandfather, was also reunited with an old friend, Derek Morris, from Wales, who is Harefield's longest and Europe's longest surviving patient.

Derek had his operation in February 1980 and Joe had his five months later.

By that time other operations had been carried out by surgeons in America and South Africa.

Joe Burnside joined hundreds of other patients in forming a huge '1000' symbol for cameras.

Back in 1979, the Darlington businessman was hoisting a roll of carpet into a customer's car when he collapsed with a massive heart attack. It was his second attack within 18 months and doctors were gloomy about his prospect.

But Mrs Burnside , with the help of a friendly GP, managed to persuade famous surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub to put her husband on the waiting list for a heart transplant.

When it came, the operation was a great success.

But the Burnsides always feel for the relatives of the donor, Peter Everett an 18 year old athlete from Liverpool who collapsed and died after a race.

Apart from donating a heart the young man also donated two corneas and a kidney to help others.

"There are no words to thank Joe's donor, his unselfish thoughts for his fellow man changed so many lives," said Mary Burnside.

Since 1980 almost 700 heart transplant patients are alive today, 300 patients needing lung transplants have had their lives saved and more than 300 childrens lives were transformed by either heart or lung transplants.

Mr and Mrs Burnside would like to see more people consider organ donation after death.

A spokeswoman for the UK Transplant Service said there are currently 82 people waiting for a new heart.

The NHS Organ Donor helpline which is on 0845 6060 400.