A THOUSAND childless couples across the south could become parents thanks to an appeal in the Daily Echo.

Last September, there were just four men making sperm donations to help couples from across the region which covers Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex and Wiltshire as well as the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.

The situation for the Southampton University Hospital Trust was so dire that an urgent appeal appeared in the Daily Echo last October, prompting more than 100 men to come forward to help.

Fertility consultant Nick Brook, based at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton said: "We have been contacted by 100 men across the Wessex region and this was mainly thanks to the media appeal last October.

"We are receiving 45 new enquiries a week and we will be into double figures by the summer and we want to thank the Daily Echo for publishing our appeal.

"Potentially this will make a huge difference to 1,000 childless couples and we are already able to offer help to those who need it."

The shortage of sperm donors across the Wessex region last year mirrored similar situations across the UK which had worsened since a change in the law in April 2005, allowed people conceived through donation to find out the identity of their biological fathers once they reach 18.

Mr Brook stressed that this should not put potential donors off and encouraged more men to come forward if they could. He added: "We still need more donors to come forward and although the ideal age for donors is between 18 and 45, if the donors fulfil the criteria then we can be more flexible."

All potential candidates are asked to fill in a confidential questionnaire before being invited to the hospital for an interview and medical tests.

Once they have been screened, successful applicants can donate up to ten times, for which they are entitled to a maximum payment of £250.