A charity group has been set up by medical students to find bone marrow donors. Jules Harvey explains

"Marrow" is part of the Anthony Nolan Trust and serves to give every university student in Britain the chance to join the national bone marrow register. It is run by medical students, though it is still funded and supplied by the trust.

In the beginning

In 1997, a 22 year old university student died from leukaemia, expedited by the delay in finding a suitable bone marrow donor. This delay was caused by the lack of potential donors on the bone marrow register and was further compounded by the fact that she came from an ethnic minority.

This student was a friend of a then fourth year medical student at Nottingham University. Surrounded by thousands of healthy students and spurred on by the untimely death of a friend, he had a brilliant idea: why not recruit students to the bone marrow register?

After discussion with the trust, "Marrow" was founded in 1998. This was the start of a very successful partnership, marrying the skills of medical students with the resources and experience of a national charity. "Marrow" is now the largest supplier of donations to the trust nationally.

The present

In just three years "Marrow" has grown to cover 16 medical schools in Britain. In each centre there is an individual group. Groups hold regular clinics in hospitals and halls of residences and these serve to educate students about bone marrow transplantation and provide a friendly and convenient place for interested students to join the register. Social and fundraising events also feature on the calendar.

"Marrow" specifically targets university students as they are generally fit and healthy, intelligent (in theory), and are young enough to be able to serve on the bone marrow register for a long time. It also utilises our skills as medical students, as we know the best places and times to run clinics and are able to communicate effectively with people of similar ages and backgrounds.

We are always looking for medical students to get involved in our activities. There are several learning opportunities to be gained by taking part. These range from finding out how a large, well respected charity is run, to getting to practise communication skills and blood taking when helping to run a large donor clinic. It is also a great place to meet other students, medical and non-medical.

The future

"Marrow" continues to grow from strength to strength. We hope to continue expanding nation wide, while consolidating work at existing groups.

Specific aims for the year ahead include increasing the number of men and ethnic minorities on the register. Both groups are under-represented on the register. Suggestions on how this may be achieved are welcomed.

Getting involved

It costs nothing to join as the trust provides generous funding and all the necessary supplies. Other groups will provide training, assistance, and resources such as training videos.

Each group is run by local medical students to maximise opportunities for involvement and experience. You choose when, where, and how often you run clinics, as well as what you can do for social activities and fundraising.

Go to www.marrow-uk.org for further information.