Duvet Musings: It’s good to see children with healthy lives ahead of them

I have been attending the games for over 14 years and so honoured to be a patron to witness at first hand those who once near death, having their lives and that of their families transformed by an organ donation.

It is always particularly heartening to see the children now with healthy lives ahead of them competing and the emotional parade of donor families too. It reminds us of those who carry a donor card and have had the conversation with their families who still have to give their consent under the presumed consent law.

The Games reminds of the selfless fellow citizens who not only are prepared to donate their organs, but those who take the trouble to donate blood, stem cells, and plasma the latter that proved so crucial in saving my life and earns my life long gratitude.

The highlight of the games, postponed for over three years due to Covid, was to see the joy of those whose lives had been transformed by organ transplants and their appreciation of the brave donor families.

To further promote more carrying donor cards the Leeds Local Organising Committee introduced a Yorkshire Donor Card which hopefully will get the support it deserves, as we still have the tragedy of three people dying every day waiting for transplant.

The games are held every year in different city with Coventry being the host city next year and I look forward to a return to Sheffield who has the infrastructure to host the games and reap the economic benefits of doing so which amount to several million pounds with this year Leeds benefitting from 6000 bed nights.

Indeed the economic and profile benefits of attracting major sporting events like the EUFA Championships and Cultural Events to our Arena and Tramlines are not to be underestimated.

Indeed we have no reason not to set our sights high given recent successes and mounting a credible bid to host the Eurovision Song Contest should be well within our capabilities given our links with Ukraine and infrastructure.

After all Sheffield United were not timid in attracting EUFA support to have four Women's Football Championship matches and the never to be forgotten Semi Final Match with our own England team involved.

The exposure will prove invaluable to lifting our City's profile and capabilities giving us the confidence to continue to be assertive in attracting major events and not least our morale which has been shaken by the pandemic and inflation.

All the more reason for the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport to be secured to aid our recovery.