A well-known local firefighter has been commended by the Anthony Nolan Trust for recently donating bone marrow in London.

Phillip Lees-Griffiths, also known as Rez, of The Glebe, Tenby, travelled to London's Royal Free Hospital recently to undergo the procedure.

Phillip joined the register approximately 20 years ago and has been called for tests twice previously, but this was the first time he has donated.

"Firstly I was contacted to ask if I could provide blood samples and then went on to have a medical examination, featuring a series of tests," said Phillip, who is a carpenter by trade, but has also been a firefighter for 19 years with the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Services.

From there on, Phillip was told that everything was fine and was given a date to donate.

"The procedure was over in half-an-hour and I was surprised by how straightforward it was. Everything was explained to me so well by the Anthony Nolan Trust and hospital staff, and the arrangements for my wife were excellent," explained Phillip.

"The bone marrow has to be transplanted into a person within 24 hours, so it felt sort of strange that someone across London had a part of me transferred to them.

"After the treatment, I was left with a dull ache across my lower back and a tingling sensation on my skin from the spinal epidural, but I returned home the following day, had four days rest and then returned to work," said Phillip, who is based at Tenby fire station, but is also on extra duties at Pembroke Dock station, both of which he is grateful to for the extra time off. He would also like to thank his wife Helen, daughter Bex, son Greg and all his family for their support, help and kindness during this time.

Phillip is the third Tenby firefighter to donate bone marrow to the Anthony Nolan Trust, the others being current station officer Dicky Lewis and Peter Thomas.

Alex Frazier, senior communications officer at the Anthony Nolan Trust, said: "We are delighted that Phillip recently travelled to London to donate his bone marrow to a stranger.

"It is an incredible gift to save someone's life. The problem the charity faces is there are just not enough individuals like Phillip registered. For many patients in need of a transplant the chance of finding a suitable donor can be slim and their time is rapidly running out," explained Alex, who urged others to find out if they can join the bone marrow register and save a life by calling the Trust on 020 7284 1234 or checking the website at http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk">www.anthonynolan.org.uk

There are currently 16,000 people worldwide in need of a bone marrow transplant, but because individual genetic make-up is so varied, many searches for patients are unsuccessful.

A bone marrow donor whose tissue type matches theirs could mean the difference between life and death.

"There are 1,400 people waiting for a bone marrow transplant in the UK and for every person we can find a match for, there is one person we can't," continued Alex.

"Every person who joins the register increases the chances of finding a match for people who need bone marrow transplants - someone could join up and be the only match for someone awaiting a transplant.

"Joining the register creates the possibility of being able to potentially save someone's life - by simply giving up a small amount of time," added Alex.