The Lancashire Evening Post has signed up more than 3,000 donors to the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The total brings success to the paper's six-month Have A Heart campaign, which was launched in March and doubled its original target of 1,000 within a month because of the interest it generated.

And last week the campaign notched up an amazing 3,086... with one month of the six-month drive still to go.

The campaign aims to improve the outlook for people hoping for the perfect organ match, and was launched with a week-long series of features by health reporter Aasma Day.

The 'face' of the appeal is Leonie Snowden, (16), whose story launched the campaign. She was born with cystic fibrosis and was placed on the transplant waiting list after doctors revealed her lungs were deteriorating rapidly.

A month after the appeal launch a match was found for Leonie and she underwent the seven-hour double transplant at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in April.

The transplant was a success and Leonie is now at home with her family and is making a wonderful recovery.

Bob Corfield from UK Transplant said: "The paper's campaign has been great and the coverage has been wonderful and has obviously touched the hearts of hundreds of readers and spurred them on to help people live improved or much longer lives."

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