A CHARITY which registers British people as blood stem cell donors claims Bournemouth is ‘falling short’ of people willing to donate.

According to DKMS, which was started in Germany by a doctor whose wife died of blood cancer, Bournemouth makes up just 11.3 per cent - 2,898 people - of the total DKMS donors in the South West, which itself makes up just 6.4 per cent of DKMS donors in the UK.

And the majority of those who are on the list are over the age of 31, with just 598 under that age, which, says DKMS, can result in better outcomes for those receiving the stem cells.

A DKMS spokesman said that with someone diagnosed with a blood cancer every 20 minutes in the UK, more potential donors were needed.

DKMS's Head of Donor Recruitment, Lisa Nugent, said: “For a few minutes of your time now to sign up, you could save someone’s life in the future. If you’re living in Bournemouth and between 17 and 55 and in general good health, there’s no excuse not to, as it could make all the difference to someone in need of a donation.”

She explained that only one in three people with a blood cancer, such as leukaemia or lymphoma (and in need of a transplant) will find a matching blood stem cell donor within their own family. “Two in three people need to look outside of this,” she warned.

Now DKMS is urging more people in the area to sign-up and go on standby to help save a life ahead of Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

*dkms.org