A group of regional and national newspapers are aiming to raise awareness of blood cancer in a bid to build on the legacy of a reporter who died from the condition.

Adrian Sudbury of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, pictured, died from leukaemia in 2008 having established an initiative which has since led to 4,300 people becoming bone marrow donors.

Now the Examiner’s parent company Trinity Mirror is aiming to continue his legacy by partnering with the cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

Its regional titles will be aiming to raise awareness of the illness by publishing a series of human interest stories about donors and survivors local to their area, as well as engaging staff and readers to raise vital funds.

The editorial partnership, which coincides with Anthony Nolan’s 40th anniversary year, will also see content run in the Daily Mirror as well as in regional titles such as the Daily Record, Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo and Birmingham Mail.

In a news release today, Trinity Mirror said its involvement had been inspired by the work of Adrian Sudbury, who spearheaded the Nolan charity’s ‘Register and Be a Lifesaver’ programme before his death.

Since 2008 the education programme, which has reached more than 100,000 students and resulted in more than 4,300 of those young people signing up as potential bone marrow donors.

The Anthony Nolan charity was set up by Shirley Nolan in 1974 when her three-year-old son Anthony was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant.  It was the world’s first bone marrow register.

Trinity Mirror’s regional editorial director Neil Benson said: “Over the past ten years, our regional titles have worked in a co-ordinated way with many leading charity organisations, including the Prince’s Trust, Childline and the NSPCC, but this is the first time a partnership of this type has spanned our regional and national titles.

“The human stories are truly inspiring, from the Nolan family themselves to donors, recipients, doctors, nurses and volunteer helpers right across the country. We’re looking forward to producing a really compelling campaign that only our unique mix of titles and web sites can offer.”

Richard Davidson, Director of Communications and Marketing at Anthony Nolan, said: “Our identity as a charity is rich with poignant and inspiring stories, many of which have been told in Trinity Mirror’s national and regional titles over the past four decades.

“Working with Trinity Mirror today gives us a unique and powerful opportunity to tell our story to a combined audience of millions, enabling us to grow our lifesaving register and carry out world-class research into blood cancer at a crucial time in our history.

“By choosing to support Anthony Nolan in its 40th year, Trinity Mirror readers and staff are doing something amazing; they are helping save lives.”

To support the initiative, text MIRR99£5 or MIRR99£10 to 70070, or visit www.justgiving.com/Mirror-AnthonyNolan