Chef Robert Russell, of the Wenlock Arms, Wheldrake, prepares for his cooking demonstration in aid of the Nicola Coates Appeal

Chef Robert Russell cooked up an evening of fun at a Wheldrake pub to keep up the fundraising drive for the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.

The Wenlock Arms chef organised a cookery demonstration last night, which was followed by a food fun quiz.

The evening was just the latest in a series of fundraising activities organised after doctors decided villager Nicola Coates needed a bone marrow transplant to help her combat leukaemia.

The Anthony Nolan Trust has been organising special clinics to test volunteers' suitability to become a marrow donor for her or others in a similar plight.

But it costs the charity about £50 to test every blood sample donated, and well-wishers have been doing their utmost to give the trust a major financial boost. More than £8,000 has already been raised in total.

The pub will host another event, a disco, this Friday evening.

Nicola, 25, who has been undergoing chemotherapy in Southampton, is currently awaiting hospital tests after suffering a relapse.

Her father, Gary, said today that she had suffered loss of speech and semi-paralysis last week, possibly as a side-effect of a powerful drug administered during chemotherapy.

He said her condition had improved greatly but she was now waiting to undergo an MRI scan.

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