Andrew Cole urges people to consider live kidney donation

The campaign is called Make Your Mark, set up by the Robert Dangoor Partnership for Living Kidney Donation, a partnership between Kidney Research UK and Give a Kidney.

It aims to encourage more people to consider donating a live kidney, after research showed just 16 per cent of adults in the North West would consider giving a kidney to a stranger.

Cole, 52, who won the League Cup with Rovers in 2002, and also had a short loan spell at Burnley in 2008, received a kidney from his nephew in 2017 after suffering from kidney failure.

He said: "Kidney disease is one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with and I know how lucky I am that my nephew was so willing to give up his kidney for me.

"It's important to raise more awareness of living kidney donation so that kidney patients and potential donors can have more open conversations about it and potentially save the lives of others like me in the future."

Andrew Cole during his time at Blackburn

The poll found more than half (54 per cent) of adults would consider donating a kidney to a family member, while 29 per cent would consider giving one to a friend.

The findings come at the same time as national statistics show more than 5,500 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the UK, and six people die each week whilst waiting.

Make Your Mark aims to help more people understand what it means to be a living donor, working with the NHS and a panel of specialists.

Make Your Mark has been made possible thanks to businessman and philanthropist David Dangoor, who has personal experience of living kidney donation, having previously donated to his brother Robert.

He said: “This new research shows that people clearly aspire to do something good during their lives and help others.

"Having donated a kidney to my brother, I know first-hand that it is perfectly possible to do this and to carry on living a normal life.

"I hope this partnership will have a profound impact on the number of people wanting to donate and help everyone gain a better understanding of the process involved.

"Enabling more transplants could help patients with kidney failure to come off of, or avoid, difficult dialysis treatment.”

A transplant allows a patient with kidney failure to come off time-consuming dialysis treatment, giving them their freedom back.

Kidney disease is the 10th most common cause of death globally, with the number of people being diagnosed rising.

Anyone interested in altruistic kidney donation is urged to contact Kidney Research UK or Give a Kidney for more information.