THE Lord Mayor of Chester greeted an intrepid campaigner who had just completed a gruelling 83-day drive from Mumbai to London.

Cllr Alex Black and wife Janet welcomed Bhal Shekhar Chilana and his wife Namita to the city on the evening of Saturday, July 14.

Mr Chilana drove through 17 countries on a mission to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

He was inspired to take action after his daughter Priya, who lives in Chester, received a vital kidney transplant from her husband Jaideep Shah.

Cllr Black spoke to the family about his own experiences of organ donation as his daughter also received a life-changing kidney transplant.

Father-of-three Mr Chilana and his wife undertook their 23,000 km drive with the backing of Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN Foundation).

Dr Satya Vrat Sharma, on behalf of MOHAN Foundation, said he hoped the venture would encourage more people to register as organ donors.

Sarika Kaushik and Rani Zackhariay, from Sanjhi Indian Association, were also present along with other members to welcome Mr Chilana.

Before his trip, he told the Mumbai Mirror: “Not donating vital organs is akin to wasting them.

“Even though all the organs in the human body cannot be donated, heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, lungs, intestines, bone, bone marrow, iris, skin and blood vessels can be donated.

“It can save lives.”

Mr Chilana plans to visit the Royal Liverpool Hospital to thank the NHS and the surgical team.