A Romsey dentist has joined the army of supporters in the race to find urgent bone marrow donors for a Hampshire family.

The four Hartley boys, Josh, Nathan, Daniel and Luke, all have one of the rarest genetic defects in the world, called XLinked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome (XLP) or Duncan's disease.

It means they need bone marrow transplants - or they may not live beyond their teens.

Josh, 13, and eight-year-old Daniel have already found donor matches.

Now their dentist, Samantha Price, has joined the hunt for donors for the other two by pledging to match cash donations up to a total of £500.

It costs the Anthony Nolan Trust, which recruits and processes bone marrow donors, around £70 to add each new potential donor to the list.

They urgently need money to help sort through the thousands of new donors that have come forward as a result of the Hartley's appeal.

Mrs Price, from Romsey Dental Care, in Station Road, said: "Everyone at the practice wanted to help the family and the trust needed funds to cover the cost of recruiting donors and maintaining the register."

She has agreed to match every donation made at the surgery up to £500 - so the aim is to raise £1,000 for the vital charity, and pay for more than a dozen new people to join the register.

Drop into the practice to make a donation. For more information, visit the Anthony Nolan Trust's website on www.anthonynolan.org.uk.