Journalist Mr Sudbury, 27, died from leukaemia in August after a campaign to raise awareness about donation which took him to Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

On Wednesday, Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced their departments were giving the Anthony Nolan Trust £40,000 to support a pilot schools programme.

In a statement, Adrian Sudbury's parents Kay and Keith said: "The beauty of Adrian's campaign was its simplicity.

"If you educate 17 and 18-year-old young adults about blood, bone marrow and organ donation, more of them will choose to be donors.

"We are delighted and hugely encouraged that Government funding has been made available for a pilot project to look at ways in which schools and colleges can be helped to deliver such an important message and we are profoundly grateful to all the people who have worked so hard to turn Adrian's dying wish into a positive reality.

"If Adrian's vision can be realised, more lives will be saved. It is as simple as that."

Mr Balls said: "Donation can mean the difference between life and death for those in need and if we can get this message across to young people we can save thousands of lives in the future - something that Adrian fought for tirelessly throughout his illness.

"The Anthony Nolan Trust does excellent work in this area and I am delighted that we are able to support them and Adrian's parents, Keith and Kay Sudbury, by providing funding for the pilot, which will enable us to take forward Adrian's vision by finding new ways to reach and engage with young people."

In September Mr Balls and Mr Johnson wrote to every secondary school, sixth form and further education college in England to emphasise the importance of educating young people about the importance of donation.




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