A woman has launched a desperate bid to find a matching donor for her dying father.

Project manager and father-of-two Mark Kan, 57, urgently needs a stem cell transplant after he was told his cancer returned last month.

A stranger could hold the key to Mark’s survival if they are a genetic match.

His daughter Lauren, aged 23, told The Gazette: “My dad is the kindest, most loving and incredible man I know. He loves his family and friends.

“The thought of not having him to love and hold causes me, my younger brother and my mum and his parent’s pain beyond imagination,” the council worker said.

You can see the full story in this week's paper. Also:

  • The trust which runs Basingstoke and Andover hospitals received an 11 per cent increase in complaints last year, with 808 formally made. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s (HHFT) annual complaints report for 2019/20 looks in detail at the complaints and concerns made to the trust last year. Read the full story on page 2.
  • Nail bars, tattoo shops and John Lewis were given the green light to reopen in Basingstoke after months spent in lockdown. Customers were snapped smiling having their nails done and waiting in socially distanced queues outside John Lewis, after the Government announced they could officially reopen on Friday. Read the full story on page 3.
  • Residents of five areas of Basingstoke are at higher risk of needing hospitalisation if they catch coronavirus in a second spike, a new tool has shown. Oxford University’s online tool correlates factors that lead to vulnerability to Covid-19, including age, social deprivation, population density, ethnicity and hospital capacity. Read the full story on page 4.
  • A family-run Basingstoke company has been thrust into the international limelight when the CEO of an American company of the same name went viral for his vile, racist tirade of abuse aimed at an Asian family. When Emma Jones decided to set up a business with her sister, Solid8 felt like the perfect name. Little did they know that seven years later, this name would plunge their small, family-run firm based in Worting House in Basingstoke into the international spotlight. Read the exclusive story on page 5.
  • A complaint made about the deputy mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, accusing her of posting offensive Tweets, is now being dealt with formally. As previously reported, Cllr Onnalee Cubitt came under fire when she said it was “fair” to refer to Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus”, after liking a Tweet by US president Donald Trump referring to the virus as a “a very bad gift from China”. Read the full story on page 7.
  • Rafi Razzak “duped” lifelong fans of Basingstoke Town Football Club into selling him their stake in the team by claiming their shares were worthless before striking a multi-million pound deal for the freehold of the Camrose ground, it has been claimed. Read the exclusive story on page 9.
  • Also in the week's paper: Catch up on the latest from North Hampshire's Magistrates' Courts.
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Two pages of news from our communities.
  • An eight-page puzzle special.
  • Three pages of news from our districts.
  • Two pages of business news.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • Four pages of sports news.
  • And much more!

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