TWENTY years ago, The Northern Echo published a 16-page supplement as the cornerstone of its campaign to force the Government to compensate 2,000 haemophiliacs who contracted the AIDS virus through their treatment on the National Health Service.

A blood-clotting product called Factor VIII, designed to help haemophiliacs lead normal lives, was the source of the deadly infection.

I was a young reporter at the time and it was the first real campaign I'd worked on. It meant meeting some of the North-East victims of the NHS blunder and hearing their moving, shocking stories.

They told how they were bullied, sacked, shunned, ridiculed and frightened in the days when the stigma attached to AIDS was at its most damaging. Only a few were willing to speak out but I met some amazing people whose courage helped to highlight a terrible injustice.

The campaign ended when the Government made a £20m commitment to establish a trust fund for the affected haemophiliacs and their families.

Last week, two decades on, my secretary passed me a note of a telephone number.

"A lady rang, saying she wanted to speak to you, but she didn't want to leave her name," she said.

I called the number and a softly-spoken voice answered, beginning a conversation which I'll never forget.

"You might not remember but we met at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle a long time ago - my son was a haemophiliac who contracted AIDS," she said.

She went on to tell me that her son had died 12 years ago, aged 20, and only now did she feel strong enough to talk about it.

"I couldn't face it before," she said. "He didn't want to die in hospital so I cared for him at home. When he died, I caved in. I felt I'd lost my purpose and that it was my fault. I thought I was a bad mum because I'd given him the injections - I'd killed him."

No matter how many people told her it wasn't her fault, she couldn't escape those feelings of guilt.

"But I rang to say I'm happy now. The anger's gone and I know my son is free of pain. It was a short life but he lived it to the full.

"I wanted you to know that and to say thank you for what the paper did."

Twenty years... When I put the phone down, I hunted out the supplement, yellowed by time, and read the mother's story again.

She trembled and tears welled up in her eyes as she quietly summed up a mother's fears: "It's like sitting on the edge of a cliff, wondering when someone's going to push you off."

At the time, the boy in the story had to be anonymous. I now know he was Martin Holmes. He was a son to be proud of and he lived life to the full.

His mum's name is Jennifer and I'm really glad she called.

HARTLEPOOL United fans are owed an apology for the confusion we caused last week over the possible signing of a mysterious new player.

It happened like this: The sports editor was asked to suggest a news bill for Hartlepool and came up with "WILSON WANTS MORE IN" in reference to a story about manager Danny Wilson's transfer ambitions.

This was translated by the bill-writer as "WILSON WANTS MORGAN".

Fans have been calling ever since to ask who's Morgan and when's he going to sign.