A YOUNG leukaemia sufferer whose brave fight for life inspired an entire community has lost his battle.

Troy Bainbridge died in his parents' arms on Tuesday. He was just seven years old.

Scores of neighbours in Spennymoor, County Durham, queued for hours at specially arranged clinics in the hope of finding a bone marrow match for the boy.

Others raised thousands of pounds for the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, which runs a national donor register.

Although Troy eventually received a transplant from an American donor last October, it was not enough to save him.

Comforted by her husband, also called Troy, his mother, Suzanne Bainbridge, said: "Troy was a fantastic little boy. We were proud to be able to call him our son. He was brave and he was special.

"We want to thank all the people who helped him through the fundraising, his school and all the medical staff at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle General Hospital. They did everything they could."

Troy, who was previously known as Troy Murdoch, loved football, cars and computer games. He leaves sisters Chantelle, nine, and Kelsey, two, as well as a brother, Kelvin, who celebrated his first birthday last Saturday.

His family first realised Troy was ill at the end of 1998 when he started getting marks resembling bruises on his body.

In June 1999 doctors broke the news that he had leukaemia, and would die within a year without a bone marrow transplant.

Because the best hope of finding a good match lies with brothers and sisters, his family were tested, including Kelsey who was only five weeks old at the time. After this proved fruitless, his parents appealed for help through The Northern Echo and more than 140 people turned up for a donor recruitment clinic organised by the newspaper at Spennymoor Leisure Centre.

Supporters set up the Spennymoor Friends of the Nolan trust and began raising enough money to cover the cost of tissue typing each volunteer. They passed their £7,250 target last year while Troy's school, Rosebank, at Ferryhill, raised £2,500 for the cause.

The Hippodrome bingo hall at Bishop Auckland helped the family to take their first holiday, and the Cascade Bingo, at Spennymoor, bought Troy a battery-powered car.

Troy's funeral is at St Andrew's Church, Spennymoor, at noon tomorrow.