A YOUNG leukaemia victim whose brave fight captured the nation's heart has been crowned Yorkshire Youngster of the Year.

India Farmer, five, from Harrogate, won the award at the Yorkshire Young Achiever Awards in Leeds last night.

India's plight was brought to the public's attention after the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, offered to help her.

The Duchess gave three vials of her own blood which was tested to discover if her bone marrow could be used for a life saving bone marrow transplant.

She had heard of India's illness from a newspaper which she read while on an aeroplane.

She also invited India and her family to spend time at her Sunninghill home and to meet her daughters princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. The publicity given to

India's search for compatible bone marrow recruited thousands of people to the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, a charity set up to register donors.

India has now undergone a transplant after an anonymous donor came forward to give compatible bone marrow.

Tina Emmott, of the Anthony Nolan Trust, said: "This is absolutely wonderful news. She is such a brave little girl and she has been very, very poorly.

"I can't say she's a lucky little girl, but she is a fantastic little girl, a plucky little fighter, and both her and her mother deserve this award.

"But there are so many other people who would dearly love to be in her situation. We have 7,000 other patients with the same need."

The Young Achiever Awards are now in their fifth year.

Last night's ceremony was attended by 340 people, the biggest turn-out yet, and raised more than £20,000 which will be donated to leading child care charity NCH Action for Children.

Other awards were handed out to Adam Couldwell, 17, from Harrogate, who won the arts award after his debut CD was voted Best Album at the 1997 British Country Radio Awards.

The education award was won by Lara Crooks, 24, also from Harrogate, who gained the BTEC Student of the Year award while at Harrogate College despite her profound deafness, and now presents BBC TV's See Hear.

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