Kidney Research UK

The Loveseat is a unique collaboration between Kidney Research UK and West of Scotland Transplant Co-ordinators. It has been designed and hand-made from 14 types of native Scottish wood by expert carpenter, Alan Kain, and is able to seat up to four people. 131 silver pieces, designed by jeweller Shirley Paris, are embedded within the seat, each piece representing an organ donor from the West of Scotland since the beginning of the new millennium. New silver pieces will be added annually to represent the number of organ donors during that year.

On Friday 24th June, the specially commissioned Loveseat was unveiled to the public and media at the University of Glasgow. The seat will celebrate the kindness of those who have donated their organs, as well as giving transplant recipients the chance to thank donors who have transformed their lives. It is also hoped that the Loveseat will help raise awareness of the acute shortage of organ donors, and encourage more Scots to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register.

A Limited Edition Commemorative Jewellery Collection, inspired by the Loveseat and designed and produced by renowned Scottish jeweller, Shirley Paris, is also available. The design used is the same as that of the silver pieces embedded in the Loveseat and comprises a sterling silver pendant (£60), sterling silver earrings (£54) and sterling silver tie / lapel pin (£50). All money raised by the Loveseat Jewellery Collection will go directly to benefit transplantation research and to raising awareness of the need for organ donation. To purchase items from this collection, please call us on 0845 070 7601.

Dedicate your purchase by setting up a tribute fund

If you are buying an item of jewellery in the name of a loved one who has sadly died as a result of kidney disease, you may also like to consider setting up a tribute fund in their memory. This is a lasting way of remembering a lost loved whilst also celebrating their life by raising funds to help others. You may have friends and relatives who would also like to donate money in their memory and we will keep you up to date with how much money has been raised. We can set up a special page on our website dedicated to your loved one, which will also be equipped to receive donations. Cash and cheque donations can also be made.

The money raised will help Kidney Research UK to fund research to save lives.

If you would like to find out more about setting up a tribute fund, please click here.

The Loveseat has already attracted significant celebrity support, including the backing of popular Scottish TV presenter Carol Smillie: "The Loveseat is an amazing tribute to all those who have made a life-saving gift to others, as well as offering a place of comfort to the families of donors. It can be a huge consolation to know that, after death, their loved one may have saved up to nine other lives through organ donation. I hope that anyone visiting the Loveseat will be moved to reflect upon the seat's symbolic purpose and be inspired to consider their own organ donation wishes."

Lesley Kelly, Transplant Co-ordinator at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, comments: "There are over 696 people awaiting a transplant in Scotland, but last year, less than 224 people received the organ they desperately needed. The Loveseat is the focus of a considerable new effort by the Kidney Research UK and the West of Scotland Transplant Co-ordinators to raise awareness of this acute shortage, and the response has been overwhelming. As far as we know, there is no other project like it in the world and it has truly captured the imagination of donor families, recipients, and patients waiting for a transplant. We all have it within us to save lives and I urge all Scots to carry the donor card and put their name on the NHS Organ Donor Register, and most importantly tell friends and family of their wish to donate - so that life can go on".

Despite the fact that more people than ever are waiting for an organ transplant, the number of transplants carried out last year in Scotland was at it's lowest rate in five years. 92% of people on the Transplant List in Scotland are awaiting a kidney, yet the number of kidney transplants in 2004 was down 17% over a five-year period, with only 138 renal transplants taking place. West of Scotland residents make up more than half of the total number on the NHS Transplant Waiting list (345 out of 696).

Lord Hughes of Woodside, Scottish President of Kidney Research UK, says, "The Loveseat is one of many initiatives by the charity to increase the number of organs available for donation and raise money for vital transplantation research that will save lives. Important scientific breakthroughs are being made all the time, but we need to make sure that more organ donors come forward so that patients can reap the rewards from these medical advances."

The Loveseat is now on permanent display in the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow.

Give the gift of life. Join the Organ Donor Register.