The Basingstoke Gazette has launched a bid to save the life of one of its readers.

Duncan Gray is a 37-year-old father of two who is dying of leukaemia.

The Gazette revealed last month that a worldwide search of registered bone marrow donors had failed to find a match.

Now, the paper has helped organise a special marrow donor clinic in Basingstoke in a hope that a match can be found locally.

The clinic was arranged after The Gazette revealed that just 933 of the Basingstoke borough’s 150,000 population had registered as bone marrow donors.

Working with The Anthony Nolan Trust, the paper appealed for a suitable venue for the clinic and Basingstoke Rugby Club came forward. The clinic will be held on May 11.

And already, the trust has said that it has received a “flurry” of calls from potential donors.

Duncan told The Gazette: “My family and I are really grateful for all the support – not just for myself but for everyone who is suffering from leukaemia.”

Gazette deputy editor Mark Jones said: “Duncan’s story has highlighted the acute shortage of bone marrow donors, not just in Basingstoke but across the country.

“Our first step was to set up the clinic and now we hope as many readers as possible attend, becoming potential life-savers for people like Duncan.”

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