Hundreds attend swab testing session in hunt for bone marrow donor for Bristol rugby player

Hundreds of people have attended a swab testing session at a rugby club after an appeal to try and find a bone marrow match for one of its players.

Ellis Joseph, who plays for Bristol's Old Redcliffians, was diagnosed with leukaemia last month and needs to find a stranger with a genetic match so he can have a stem cell transplant.

Head Coach Dan Cox said the 26-year-old is one of the "most pivotal" people in the club.

"Off the pitch, it's people like him that the club are built around. We talk about the brotherhood of the club quite a lot, and actually he is everything that that kind of encapsulates," he added.

Around 300 people, including Ellis' teammates, were swabbed during the session at Old Redcliffians RFC in Scotland Lane, Brislington on Saturday 24 February.

In addition, 200 people were given at-home testing kits.

Doctors have told Ellis that his mixed heritage may make finding a match more difficult.

Sabrina Jarrett, from the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, said they need more people from mixed race backgrounds to volunteer for the database.

"We are always the ones, being of African Caribbean or mixed heritage, the ones who wait the longest time to find a donor, a stem cell donor," she said.

Ms Jarrett added: "Someone generously joining the register is all that we need at this point because it's a numbers game. The more people registered, especially from our heritage, it means that there's more chance of patients matching."

Clare Joseph, Ellis' mother, said the rugby player remains "positive and determined."

"But It isn't just Ellis. Sadly, too many people are diagnosed each day with nasty diseases and other blood cancers which all end up needing transplants."

More swab-testing events are due to be held in the coming weeks.