Mourners have said farewell to a leukaemia sufferer who set up a charity to inspire black and Asian people to register as bone marrow donors.

Daniel de Gale, 21, was just six years old when he was diagnosed and a shortage of black donors meant his odds of finding matching bone marrow were just one in 250,000, compared to one in five if he was white.

Stunned at the lack of donors from ethnic minority communities, Daniel's mother Beverley, and her partner, Orin Lewis, founded the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust to raise awareness and boost donor numbers.

When he was old enough Daniel joined them in the campaign to raise awareness of the lack of ethic minority bone marrow donors, inspiring thousands of people to register.

He died of organ failure two weeks ago of an unrelated illness.

Many familiar faces could be seen making their way into the south London church to pay their final respects. Among them Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

His mother insists that the campaign must continue for the sake of those still in desperate need of a donor.

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.