MONTHS of fundraising came to an end yesterday when £7,340 was presented to a charity.

The money was raised by the Spennymoor Friends of The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.

The group was founded after publicity about Troy Murdoch, six, from Spennymoor, who desperately needed a bone marrow transplant.

More than 140 people came forward at a donor recruitment clinic in Spennymoor last year to try to find a match for the youngster, who has leukaemia.

The Spennymoor group decided to raise enough money to cover the cost of tissue typing each volunteer.

Carolynne Withers, from the North-East office of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, said: "It costs the trust £50 to tissue type each new donor, and we do not receive any Government or National Lottery funding. We are very grateful to The Spennymoor Friends and the community for their support."

Ann Cleave, chairwoman of the Spennymoor group, said: "We set ourselves a target to raise £7,250 to cover the cost of the bone marrow tests, and we did it. We have had a lot of support from the community."

Rosebank School, Ferryhill, where Troy is a pupil, also raised £2,500 towards the cause.

The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust still needs volunteers to join the register and fundraise. The trust can be contacted on (01642) 592055.