Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver wants to help 12-year-old Bradley Reed, who was diagnosed with acute myloid leukaemia in 2002.

He had been dreaming of a family holiday in Florida to swim with dolphins.

His hopes were dashed when the disease, which is relatively common among adults but which affects far fewer children, returned earlier this year.

His mother Sue Wilby, from Penrith, Cumbria, said he had been devastated to have the trip delayed.

Donors wanted

She said: "He had been really looking forward to it. He was absolutely devastated but that has had to have been put on hold for the time being."

The youngster had already gone through a series of strong chemotherapy sessions, but could not undergo any more major treatment for fear of damaging his organs.

Now his best hope is to find a matching bone marrow donor so he can have the transplant that could save his life.

Today Sue Cleaver, better known as Weatherfield's Eileen Grimshaw, made an appeal for people to register as donors.

She said donating bone marrow could be as easy as giving blood yet there was still a desperate need for more donors to come forward.

In particular, she said the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust needed young men under 40 to call them to register as donors.

Daily injections

She said: "For some reason, men's bone marrow donations have a much higher success rate and yet 59% of people who are donors are women, mothers with children who need help."

With the help of a series of daily injections, giving marrow could now be as easy as giving blood, she said.

Bradley's mother said: "We are desperately searching for a donor."

Both she and Bradley's sister Neasha, 13, have been tested but did not match.