A life-saving appeal to find a bone marrow donor for a seriously-ill Bradford man has added an extra 1,500 names to a vital marrow register.

While Zahier Kazmi is still waiting for the results of tests to find out if any of the new donors are a match for him, the huge response to his appeal in Bradford and beyond gives greater hope to everyone who is desperately searching for a donor.

Ghazala Kazmi, Zahier's sister, who has worked tirelessly on her brother's behalf, said: "The last clinic was two to three weeks ago and it takes six to eight weeks to find out if there is a match so everyone has everything crossed.

"There has been a fantastic turnout and there has been a good age, gender and ethnic mix.

"Hopefully many more lives will be saved, we're praying one of them will be Zahier's."

Megan Godden, of the Anthony Nolan Trust, the UK's largest stem cell register, who helped organise a series of special clinics in Bradford for Zahier, said the number of people added to its register was fantastic.

Zahier, 23, of Canterbury Avenue, Bradford, has been battling cancer for three years.

He has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer that sees tumours attack the lymphatic system, the body's blood filter that helps fight infection and disease.

Despite undergoing a traumatic programme of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Zahier is still dangerously ill, and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

As one of the "stars" of the bone marrow community, Zahier was yesterday invited to attend a tram-naming ceremony in Wolverhampton, along with other people who have received or are still awaiting a bone marrow transplant.

Also invited was Mark Worrall, 32, of Calverley, who had a bone marrow transplant in March, and has provided hope and inspiration to Zahier to continue his fight.

The Midland Metro tram was being named after Anthony Nolan, whose short life led to the formation of The Anthony Nolan Trust. The event was followed by a donor clinic.

Although Zahier was not able to attend the event himself, Ghazala, went on his behalf, to raise the profile of her brother's campaign to find a bone marrow match.

"I wanted to highlight what we are doing in Bradford and by being here we are going to get a higher profile," she said.

She added she was hoping to organise further clinics in London, Glasgow, Leicester and Derby.

For more information about Zahier log on to www.zahier.com or for information about becoming a bone marrow donor log on to www.anthonynolan.org.uk