NEWPORT is expected to benefit to the tune of around £1.5million by hosting the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, according to organisers.

More than 60 transplant teams from across the UK will be pouring into the city later this week for the games.

It is the latest sporting event to be hosted by Newport and will be the first time any Welsh city outside of Cardiff has hosted the British Transplant Games since they were established in 1978. The games are open to any individual who has undergone transplant surgery.

Every available room in the city offered to the transplant games accommodation agency has been taken and teams are also staying in hotels on the M4 from Bristol to Cardiff.

The anticipated scale of the economic impact to the city of Newport is estimated at £1.5 million in hard cash terms based on accommodation, meals and secondary spend, say organisers.

The figure is based on the sheer number of people who will attend - the competitors, their families and fans.

“We opened entries on March 1 and within the month, more than 1500 entries had been received, “ said games events manager Andrew Bridge.

“In 2018, the media and PR reach for the games was over 600 million and valued at over £1 million in place marketing, all of it positive and strengthening the need for positive donation conversations amongst the population.

Participants will start arriving on Wednesday, July 24, and some families are naturally planning on extending their stay in Wales once the Games have finished, a Transplant Games spokesman added.

“The games, very much a festival of sport, is a family affair and for many, they represents their main, or secondary holiday of the year.

“Organisers and the charity keep entry fees to a minimum so that families can concentrate funding their accommodation, meals and to visit the shopping and restaurants in the town, Like Friars Walk, who are supporting the Games.”

The Games budget, valued at £500,000, of which £300,000, is raised annually from national sponsorship, donations and fundraising, and will be predominantly spent within Newport using local suppliers and services wherever feasible.

There has been support from the Welsh Government, Newport City Council, Newport Live and the wider Newport business community, demonstrating their ability to host and stage major events.

Rodney Parade and Newport County have already embraced the Games and the Opening Ceremony is set to be a significant community engagement event.

Celtic Manor Resort marketing director Vanessa Russell said the hotel was delighted to be sponsoring the games and hosting event organisers and teams competing at the event.

“We look forward to welcoming hundreds of competitors to the resort and seeing thousands more descend on the City of Newport.

“We know from hosting major events like the 2010 Ryder Cup and the NATO Summit in 2014, as well as the Wales Open on golf’s European Tour for 15 years, just how much impact these events can have on the visitor economy.

Successful events in Newport, from the Ryder Cup in 2010, to the recent FA Cup matches, the annual food festival and the Wales Newport Marathon have considerably raised the city’s profile, commented a city council spokesman.

“This has been reflected in the growth of the visitor economy in Newport, which has almost doubled since 2006. Figures from 2017 showed the industry had a total financial impact of £396.56 million per year,” they added.

“In 2017, the number of overnight stays increased by more than four per cent – with around 750,000 people spending one or more nights – something that is most definitely boosted by events such as the British Transplant Games.”

Councillor Debbie Wilcox, Leader of Newport City Council, said such institutions and events are recognising Newport’s worth as an excellent host city.

“Newport has fantastic attractions both within the city and within a short distance of our boundaries and these events are certainly encouraging people to discover what we have to offer,” she added.

Kevin Ward, manager of the Newport Now Business Improvement District (BID), said: “The British Transplant Games is another coup for Newport as the city’s reputation for staging major events continues to grow.

“The potential benefits to the local economy of so many visitors coming to the city are huge.

“The challenge for businesses in the city centre and Newport as a whole is to take advantage of the opportunities the event presents.”