More than 1,500 people have signed up to the bone marrow donor register following a regional daily’s bid to save a young girl’s life.

HTFP reported in March how the Sunderland Echo was urging readers to sign up to the register to see if they could be a match for seven-year-old Chloe Gray, who was born with a rare bone marrow failure disorder.

Chloe is currently reliant on blood transfusions every two weeks, but each time there is a risk her body could reject the blood.

Echo staff led the way in signing up for the register, and now the newspaper has revealed 1,500 potential donors have come forward. The milestone figure provided a splash for the Echo on Thursday.

In a previous message to readers, Echo managing editor Gavin Foster said: “At our Best of Wearside Awards I had the privilege of meeting little Chloe and my heart melted when she sang to us all.

“Hearing her mum talk about her plight and the race against time to save her life, we were keen to do all we could as a newspaper to raise awareness to help find a donor – and that includes signing up ourselves.

“Myself and many of the Echo staff have already signed up to take the test. Signing up takes seconds and taking the test takes minutes.

“Those few moments out of your day could lead to saving someone’s life, and we are urging people to do the same.”