TEENAGER Ryan Siddall who had a lifesaving kidney transplant 11 years ago is going for gold at the UK Transplant Games.

The 16-year-old is among 750 athletes, including others from the Bradford district, who will be competing at the games in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, from tomorrow.

Ryan, of Boldron Holt, Buttershaw, already has medals won at previous games but is hoping to add more golds to his collection.

He will be taking part in the table-tennis, badminton, ten pin bowling and five-a-side football categories.

“I’m going for gold. It’s the taking part that matters but if I win a gold it’ll be a bonus,” he said.

Ryan’s dad Ian, 53, donated his kidney and more than one decade on, it is still working well although it is not a cure, said his mum Rose Siddall, 55.

“The transplant is more of a treatment. He will need another transplant in the future but for the time being he is doing well.

“He has regular check-ups and hopes to study construction management at college soon,” she said.

The family, who have just returned from a Make A Wish holiday to Fuerteventura, are all heading to the games as part of the Leeds’ Children’s Transplant Team.

“We call them our renal family,” said Mrs Siddall who has fought a bowel cancer battle and is now in remission.

This Transplant Games will be the first for one of Ryan’s team-mates 17-year-old Edward Hanson-Ratcliffe, of Oxenhope, who had a bone marrow transplant four years ago from a German donor.

He will be competing at table tennis, badminton, tennis, football and ten-pin bowling.

Edward, who is also on the autism spectrum, was told by doctors he would only survive into his mid-20s if he did not have a transplant.

Neither of his two brothers nor his parents provided a bone marrow match, and a search on the UK register was unsuccessful but the Anthony Nolan charity carried out an international check and found a perfect donor, Marcus Burckhardt, on the German register DKMS.

Across the UK, more than 7,000 people are awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant – and three die each day.

Jim McCabe, for the Games organising committee: “We hope that this year we can make an even bigger impact and sign more people on to the NHS organ donor register.”

To register as a donor, visit organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. People are also urged to make their wishes known to family.