Warrington North MP Helen Jones is supporting a blood cancer charity’s campaign to find more teenage lifesavers.

The MP is backing Anthony Nolan’s ‘Save a Life At 16’ campaign in a bid to help the charity save the lives of more blood cancer patients.

The campaign sees the charity attempt to persuade HMRC to include details of the Anthony Nolan bone marrow donor register when it writes to young people with their National Insurance numbers in advance of their 16th birthdays.

The charity has pledged to cover all associated costs and hopes this would encourage more 16-year-olds to join the register.

Officials at Anthony Nolan hope that if young people are informed about the chance to save the lives of people with cancers such as leukaemia, many more will step forward to register.

Mrs Jones said: “Anthony Nolan works to save the lives of people with blood cancer in need of a bone marrow transplant by recruiting potential donors between the ages of 16 and 30 to their register.

"But even with half a million potential lifesavers on the register, they are still unable to find a matching donor for every patient who needs one.

“ There are over 1,000 people on the register living in Warrington North.

"Let’s try to increase that number.

“ There is an urgent need to recruit more young people, as they are far more likely to be chosen by doctors to donate.

Henny Braund, chief executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “Every year in the UK around 2,000 people with blood cancer need stem cell donations from a stranger. We believe young people are passionate about helping others, but they also need to be well informed about the chances open to them.

“ By agreeing to our proposal, the government can make it easier for people as young as 16 to become lifesavers. “

According to Anthony Nolan, there are 1,120 in Warrington North are on the bone marrow donor register.