MORE than 100 people queued last night to help leukaemia sufferer Lindsey Wood and others like her.

The 19-year-old, from Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesbrough, needs a bone marrow transplant to help her overcome the life-threatening cancer.

She is urging people to come forward to see whether they could save her life by becoming a bone marrow donor.

Megan Godden, donor officer from the Anthony Nolan Trust, said the number of people turning out to join the bone marrow register at the Tall Trees Hotel, in Yarm, was "brilliant".

Lindsey helped trust workers to process 120 potential donors who attended the drop-in clinic.

Lindsey worked at the Saks hair salon, in the hotel, until she was diagnosed with the illness in October.

"It was a really good turn-out, we were really pleased," said Ms Godden.

The trust enabled 400 British patients to have bone marrow transplants last year. This year it is hoping to exceed that total with the help of the public.

The Anthony Nolan trust, founded in the 1970s by the late Shirley Nolan to try to save her son Anthony, is part of a network of organisations trying to match donors with about 6,000 people worldwide needing bone marrow transplants.

Apart from Lindsey, there are other leukaemia sufferers in the region who are hoping that a good tissue match will be found.

Eight-year-old Nathan Welburn, from Eston, Teesside, is likely to need a bone marrow transplant as is 31-year-old Mark Donelly, who is also from Ingleby Barwick.

But the outlook is bleak unless more people come forward to register as potential donors.

The next clinic in the region will be held at the education centre, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough on Tuesday, between 5.30pm and 9pm.

Potential donors, who will be asked to give a blood sample, must be in good health, aged between 18 and 40 and weigh at least 8st.

People who cannot attend the sessions can contact the Anthony Nolan Trust helpline on 0901 8822234 to arrange for a blood sample to be taken by their GP. Calls are charged at 25p per minute, with a proportion of the charge going to the trust.