A schoolgirl has become the 10,000th lifesaver recruited by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) for Anthony Nolan.
Clydebank High School’s 16-year-old Shelley McKay was proud to help the Service achieve the landmark number of donors on Tuesday, December 5. And the outstanding donor tally has so far resulted in 27 lives being saved.
Retired Area Manager Ally Boyle sparked the award-winning partnership between SFRS and the charity. He said: “When I was diagnosed with a blood cancer I was absolutely devastated.
“But I did not want that to be ‘it’ and I was therefore determined to find a way to create something positive out of such a scary and terrifying diagnosis.
“I am extremely proud and more than a bit emotional at the thought of what the partnership has achieved.
“The Fire Service is all about teamwork and helping others and to see us hit 10,000 people added to the register is a real reflection of just that.
“It is something that our volunteers have achieved as a team and to my mind the combination of them, and all the amazing people who have joined the register, makes it the best team ever.
“I am extremely grateful to them, and of course to our partners, Anthony Nolan, If it wasn’t for people like them then there would be little hope for blood cancer patients like me.
“They are all absolute heroes!"
Area Manager Andy Watt leads the partnership on behalf of the SFRS. He said: “I really am delighted to see us reach such a significant milestone - 10,000 potential lifesavers recruited is amazing and I hope that everyone involved in the partnership takes a moment today to celebrate what we have achieved together.
“The best part is that, thanks to the way colleagues have stepped forward to volunteer to help us, the partnership continues to go from strength to strength and the numbers will continue to grow.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for giving up so much of their time to help others, the contribution they have made is outstanding and a fantastic demonstration of the values of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service."
Amy Bartlett, Regional Register Development Manager for Anthony Nolan said: “To recruit 10,000 donors – the lifesavers of the past, present and future – is a wonderful achievement and is testament to the dedication of everybody at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The team’s volunteers, recruiters and fundraisers have been an inspiration to us all at Anthony Nolan and their legacy will live on for years to come: giving patients across Scotland, the UK and the world, a second chance of life.
“We have been blown away by the passion shown by SFRS during our partnership and have been privileged to work with a great team over the last eight years.”
To find out how you can save a life go to www.anthonynolan.org/sfrs