A second attempt to find a bone marrow match for a six-year-old boy has proved fruitless.

Scores of men have given blood samples in the hope of finding bone marrow suitable to treat Jack Gales, of Utley, who has leukaemia.

Jack needs compatible bone marrow to fight the condition.

During the past two months more than 170 men have donated blood samples at special bone marrow clinics held at Keighley Cougars Rugby League Club's Cougar Park ground.

All samples were sent for tissue typing but a match has not been discovered.

In spite of the setback, Jack's mother Kate said her son was keeping his spirits high. "In himself he is fine," she said.

"Although he is losing all his hair again, he actually enjoys surprising people with it."

Jack has just come to the end of his radiotherapy treatment at Cookridge Hospital in Leeds.

He is now starting a nine-week course of chemotherapy, at the end

of which specialists will have to assess if the drugs are having the desired effect.

Mrs Gales said: "The nine-week cycle will start off with three weeks of quite intensive treatment followed by six weeks of maintenance treatment."

So far the Keighley branch of the Anthony Nolan Trust has raised £9,100 for the charity, and is well on the way to raising the £10,000 needed to cover the cost of the bone marrow testing.

A fundraising evening held at the start of December at Cougar Park raised £1,700 through a raffle and £1,200 from a grand auction.

Mrs Gales said: "The Anthony Nolan Trust have lent us a lot of support and we would like to thank everyone who bought the raffle tickets and helped raise money through the different events."

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