About 50% of the lifesavers who sign up to the Anthony Nolan register do it online. Which means we need to send them a ‘spit kit’ in the post – a handy package containing a tube for their saliva sample.
Once we have someone’s saliva sample, we can add them to our database, and they’ll be available as a potential genetic match for somebody with blood cancer or a blood disorder.
Our wonderful volunteers pack spit kits into envelopes, add labels, and send them out to new donors. So it’s important work. And a huge job, too; this year, we’re hoping to send out more than 30,000 spit kits to potential donors around the UK.
Which is why we need a little help from some truly fantastic supporters – like you.
Here's what our volunteers say about our spit kit socials:
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world!’ Svetlana
‘It’s great to help out for such an amazing cause and be able to socialise at the same time!’ Catrin
‘Good fun, great people and fab cause.’ Izzy
How you can help:
Tuesday & Thursday 5.30pm – 7pm or 7.30pm (feel free to turn up whenever you can make it!)
Anthony Nolan HQ 2 Heathgate Place 75-87 Agincourt Rd NW3 2NU
Every Tuesday and Thursday, some of our incredible volunteers come into our London HQ to spend a few hours pre-packing spit kits (along with some of the Anthony Nolan staff). There’s usually a little music, a lot of chatter, and a massive mountain of chocolate and snacks.
Snacks for our lifesaving volunteers!
It’s great fun, and a brilliant way to meet new people. It also makes a genuine difference to our lifesaving work – the faster we can get those kits out to potential donors, the sooner they’ll be available as a possible match to people in desperate need.
To get in touch with us, and to see updates on when the spit kit socials are happening, get in touch via volunteer@anthonynolan.org or join our Facebook group at facebook.com/spitkitsocials
There’s even some healthy food available, too (if you’re into that sort of thing)
How often do I need to come? We’d be incredibly grateful for your help whenever you can make it – although it’d be really useful if you could make a regular commitment (say, once a week or once a month) so we know how many people to expect.
Do I need any special training? Just be your usual awesome self.
No, seriously. Packing the kits is nice and easy (some of us even find it relaxing!) and we’ll have staff on hand to show you how it’s done.
There’s no experience needed. We’re just looking for people who are enthusiastic and happy to work as a team. If you’d like to come and help out as a family, you’d be very welcome – and if you’re under 16, you just need a parent or guardian’s permission to come.
Will you pay for my expenses? If you incur any expenses as part of your role (like travel or lunch) we’ll reimburse them in line with Anthony Nolan’s expenses policy.
Is there parking available? Please call ahead if you need to travel by car. We have limited parking facilities on site so obviously it’d be easier if you could use public transport when possible!
There are a number of buses that stop outside the office – please get in touch if you need help planning your journey or visit www.tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner - our office postcode is NW3 2NU.
What if I don’t live near London? If you’d like to help, but don’t live in easy reach of our London offices, we can give you some suggestions for other ways you can get involved. Just drop us an email at volunteering@anthonynolan.org
Join our Spit Kit Socials group on Facebook here to find out about upcoming events - thank you!