The efforts made by Maggie Marshall to help others should act as an inspiration to us all.

She has saved the lives of two people with blood cancer by donating stem cells and is also a regular blood donor.

The 50-year-old does not know the people she has helped but it has been enough for her to know that she has done something practical to give them the chance of life.

There is always a constant shortage of people on the bone marrow register and many more are always needed.

The higher the number of people who sign up, the greater the chance that more can be saved in the future.

If you have a loved one in need of a bone marrow transplant, you would hope that if family cannot help, then the kindness of a stranger might.

This is why it is so important to follow in the footsteps of people like Ms Marshall and sign up to be a donor.