AN AWARD winning nurse and a community group have joined forces to launch an organ donation campaign that is directed towards the Asian community.

Angela Ditchfield, a Specialist Organ Donation Nurse at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, received the Mary Seacole Leadership Award 2014 for her work with black and minority ethnic communities.

As part of the award she has produced a video aimed at the local communities of Blackburn, with the help of community group One Voice.

It’s About Time will be officially launched in June where the video will be viewed for the first time, and released online.

The short film features student actors from Blackburn and has been filmed in various locations throughout the town.

The campaign aims to highlight awareness of organ donation within the local communities.

Angela Ditchfield said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to begin to raise awareness about organ donation within the local BME community and to ensure that everyone understands the impact that organ donation can have on a community.

“Through my work as specialist nurse, I have seen how organ transplantation can have a huge and life changing impact on people’s lives.

“The campaign is a fantastic channel to spread that message to the local community of Blackburn and Darwen.”

Zaffer Khan from One Voice, who also directed the video, said: “We are very proud to work alongside NHS Health Education England and East Lancashire NHS Hospitals Trust in producing a campaign to raise awareness of organ donation in the BME community in Blackburn and Darwen.

“It’s About Time has highlighted a health issue that has been, to a large extent, shunned by the community.

“Ultimately our aim is to make effective health improvements in the community .”

It’s About Time is a Mary Seacole Award Production in association with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS Health Education England and One Voice.

The It’s About Time video will be available via social media from 6.00pm on 9 June 2015.