内容摘要："It is almost beyond bizarre that such a nationally vital scheme hasn’t been given the go ahead,” said Mr Simon.

"It is almost beyond bizarre that such a nationally vital scheme hasn’t been given the go ahead,” said Mr Simon.

A young fashion designer who needs weekly blood transfusions to stay alive has said a stem cell donor coming forward is her "only hope".Abbie Inwood, 24, from Gomersal, West Yorkshire, has a rare condition called aplastic anaemia, which means her body can't produce new blood cells.

She has been told a stem cell transplant is her final treatment option, but doctors have so far been unable to find a donor match, despite an international search.Miss Inwood is now making a desperate appeal for more people to register as potential donors and said: "It's frightening because without that special person coming forward I probably won't be here."She recognised unusual symptoms during the final year of her fashion design and marketing degree at Northumbria University in 2023.

"I was exhausted all the time and I kept getting dark bruises on my legs; I knew something wasn't right."Blood tests revealed dangerously low haemoglobin levels and she was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with the severe blood disorder.

She said her whole future was now "on hold".

"You just don't believe you'll ever get news like that and unfortunately I can't continue with my career in fashion while I'm having constant blood transfusions; my body can't cope.""This leadership upset comes amid weaker consumer sentiment which has meant footfall at its stores has fallen - and the chain has been losing market share in the UK."

She said that internationally the company has performed well, but added: "There could be uncertainty ahead about the speed of expansion given the change of boss."Following Mr Marchant's "immediate" departure, ABF's finance director Eoin Tonge will become Primark's interim chief executive.

The firm's financial controller, Joana Edwards, will step into Mr Tonge's role. The company said: "Both executives have the experience to perform these roles well."ABF is majority-owned by the billionaire Weston family who, until 2021, owned the department store Selfridges.