Big turnout for transplant girl

Eva and her parents have to wait to see if a match has been found

Thousands of people have turned up at a donor recruitment clinic to see if they can save the life of a three-year-old girl who has a rare form of leukaemia.

Eva Winston-Hart from Market Harborough, Leicestershire needs a bone-marrow transplant.

People aged 18 to 40 turned up at the clinic, organised by the Anthony Nolan Trust, to give a blood sample.

It will be several weeks before it is known whether a match has been found for Eva.

She is undergoing a course of chemotherapy at home after being treated in a Leicester hospital.

'Amazing' turnout

Nigel Gorvett from the Anthony Nolan Trust said the samples would be taken back to the charity's lab for testing and to be put on its register.

"That takes about six to eight weeks after which each donor will be sent a donor card.

"Then it's just a waiting game to see if they are a match for anyone who needs a transplant.

"It could help Eva and we've got about 7,000 people waiting for a transplant in the UK alone, so it could help any one of those people."

Eva's mum Amy said the turnout was "absolutely amazing, more than I ever thought would turn up."