More than 40 students signed up to join the bone marrow register on November 18 in an event organised by Geraint at the University of Swansea.

Geraint joined forces with Swansea Labour Students to set up a stall at the front of Fulton House at the University of Swansea this morning.

The event was part of a campaign from the charity, Anthony Nolan, to recruit 10,000 men to join its donor register this year.  So far Anthony Nolan has recruited 7,600 young men across the country but only 240 from Wales, including 58 from the Swansea area.  Today's event has boosted the Swansea count to 100.

The campaign was launched in the summer to tackle the shortage of young male donors on the bone marrow register. Men account for over 80 per cent of donations, but those of the ideal 18-30 age range make up just 12 per cent of the register. At the moment, Anthony Nolan can only find a matching donor for half the people who come to them in need of a lifesaving transplant.

In just two hours, more than 40 students, mostly men, can forward to complete a medical questionnaire and give a saliva sample. Members of Swansea Marrow, the university arm of Anthony Nolan, were on hand to speak to donors and take the samples.

Geraint said: "It has been a great event. We had an excellent response from the students who were very supportive and understood the significance of being a member of the register and how it can save lives. I will continue to work with Anthony Nolan to reach its target."

For more information about Anthony Nolan, or to register online, visit www.anthonynolan.org/spit<http://www.anthonynolan.org/spit> or call 0303 303 0303.