I’ve been volunteering with Scannappeal for somewhere between fifteen and twenty years now. I can’t quite put my finger on the exact date, but it’s been a good long while. Volunteering here has become such a steady part of my life that I almost can’t imagine not doing it.
I’ve helped out with other organisations too. On Tuesday mornings, for example, I spend a couple of hours with the Stroke Club at Holmer Green. It’s held in the church hall there, just next to the church. People who’ve had strokes come along, and it’s always well attended. I know the Baptist church there too, because I used to visit regularly. That group is another small way I can support people, keep active, and stay connected.
My path into volunteering probably won’t surprise you. I spent about fifty years of my life as a nurse, on and off. Nursing shapes you. It’s not the kind of career you leave behind easily. Once a nurse, always a nurse. So for me, volunteering has been a natural extension of that life. I’d always known of Scannappeal through people involved, so when the chance came to help, I took it.
Over the years I’ve done a variety of roles. Collecting is a big one — whether at Tesco in Amersham, or supermarkets in Wycombe, we’ve held collection days that really make a difference. Only a couple of weeks ago, our Tesco collection raised nearly £550. The staff there are very supportive, and it always feels worthwhile.
I’ve helped at plays too, like The Merry Wives of Windsor, when the theatre group kindly made Scannappeal their charity partner. We had a tent at the event, helped with parking, spoke to visitors, and spread the word about what we do. They gave us a generous donation afterwards, which was a lovely gesture. I’ve helped at quizzes, at fundraising evenings, and I’ve almost certainly pitched in on other occasions I can’t now remember. But mostly, my work is in the bookshop. Sorting, pricing, scanning — it’s steady, useful work, and I enjoy it.
People often ask me what motivates me to keep volunteering. Well, part of the answer goes back thirteen years. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had surgery, four months of chemotherapy, and a month of radiotherapy. It was gruelling, and costly, but the care I received was superb. I couldn’t fault it. As a nurse myself, I know how easy it is to be critical of healthcare when you’re on the receiving end. But I couldn’t find fault — the treatment was excellent in every way. I even wrote to Anne Eden, who was the Chief Executive at Wycombe Hospital at the time, to say thank you. That’s not something nurses do lightly, but I meant it.
The scanners Scannappeal fundraised for made a real difference to my treatment. I used what’s called a “cool cap” during chemotherapy — an attempt to save hair by cooling the scalp. The first generation of caps were horrendous. They froze your head to the point of pain. But Scannappeal raised money for a much-improved version, and it was far more tolerable. I used it myself, and I know how much better it made an already difficult experience. That’s when the mission of Scannappeal became personal. I knew first-hand the difference this equipment makes.
So my motivation has never really changed. From the start until now, it has been about continuing my vocation as a nurse in a different way — about helping people, supporting local healthcare, and raising funds for vital equipment.
Alongside that, of course, are the personal rewards. Volunteering keeps you connected. You meet other volunteers, you meet members of the public, you have conversations you might never otherwise have. When I was nursing, I was always around people. When I stopped, I suddenly felt the absence of that. Volunteering fills that gap.
The camaraderie is a big part of it too. You share jokes with fellow volunteers, swap stories, have chats with the people who come into the shop. It’s a reminder that life doesn’t shrink just because you’ve retired. In fact, it can open up if you let it.
There are challenges, of course. The biggest one for me is energy. We once had 30 boxes of books delivered all at once — piled up in the passageway. My role is to sort through them, scan to see if they’re valuable, separate out what can be sold, and arrange for the rest to be collected by companies who buy bulk stock. It’s hard work. Some days it takes it out of me. But it’s rewarding to know you’re helping keep things organised for the team.
The most rewarding thing of all, though, is simple: being useful. Even in retirement, even as a great-grandmother, you want to feel you’re contributing something. Nursing taught me that sense of usefulness is vital, and volunteering has kept it alive for me.
Scannappeal’s work inspires me too. The scanners, the robotic surgery, the improvements in diagnostics — I trained partly in theatres, so I have some inkling of what these machines mean. They transform care, speed up treatment, and save lives. Helping to raise money for that is a privilege.
I’ve even spoken about it beyond Scannappeal. I once wrote to Saga magazine when they were discussing not employing nurses beyond the age of 70. I told them how I’d retired at 68 and then chosen to work with a charity instead — how rewarding it had been. They printed my comments about the NHS but left out the part about Scannappeal. Still, the point stands: age doesn’t stop you from being useful, and volunteering proves it.
So what would I say to someone considering volunteering? I’d tell them it’s extremely rewarding. It takes you out of yourself. If you live alone, it brings you company. If you’re used to working, it gives you a sense of purpose. It lifts your morale, gives you another dimension to life, and keeps you in contact with people.
I’ll keep volunteering as long as I’m physically able. It’s part of who I am now. And if I had to sum it up, I’d say this: once a nurse, always a nurse — and Scannappeal has allowed me to keep nursing in a way, long after I hung up my uniform.
