Volunteering Case Study

Brenda’s story

Some time after my children were born, I started donating blood regularly. I noticed that there was a lady who would meet and greet me – and hundreds of others – to the sessions which were three times a year. This lady – Cathy – wore a badge with the title 'Voluntary Organiser'. One day, Cathy approached me and said: "I've seen you coming in regularly over the past ten years; you must be about retiring age now. I would like to ask you to take over from me."

Before I knew it, I was putting letters into envelopes and taking charge of the Blood Donor Folder. Two days later, I was going round the shops asking people to put up posters. Cathy quickly showed me what to do one Sunday morning session, then she was off and I was wearing her badge.

It was not long before I became the local volunteer member of the team. With the support of my tea ladies, I like to think we make it easier for the staff to do their invaluable work and, hopefully, we keep the donors happy too! Each year, I spend three half days organising and promoting the session and I attend two sessions three times a year. It's a grand total of seven and a half days, which is nothing in the overall scheme of things.

Talking to donors is an important part of the job. Some of them are not happy with parts of the new system and have a degree of apprehension. I hope a wee bit of chat with a pinch of humour thrown in will help relax them and that they go on to be regular donors. The December sessions are usually the weekend before Christmas and, more often than not, the staff will get off the bus wearing Santa hats or sparkly earrings.

Becoming a volunteer with SNBTS was easy for me – I was in the right place at the right time. For any young retirees who are thinking of voluntary work, I would recommend it. Volunteering with SNBTS takes very little effort and time but makes a big difference to both donors and staff. I hope to be 'the lady from the blood donors' for a good few years to come.