<p>Why you’re important</p><p>Every 20 minutes someone finds out they have blood cancer. For many, a transplant is their only chance of a cure. At Anthony Nolan, we give them that chance. We match incredible individuals willing to donate their blood stem cells or bone marrow to people in desperate need of a transplant.</p><p>At Anthony Nolan’s labs, our scientists test the tissue type of potential new donors by testing a saliva sample. The laboratory receives around 900 samples every week through the post, and can receive hundreds or thousands more samples if a donor recruitment drive has taken place. That is where you come in - we need your support to sort the samples. You will need to open each envelope and place the sealed sample tube into a rack. It’s vital to our lifesaving work.</p><p>What the role involves</p><p>We are looking for regular and reliable volunteers to unpack our vital samples at our labs in Hampstead, North West London. We will be asking you to cut open the envelopes, check the quality of the sample and sort the samples into racks. There are sometimes other tasks you can help with, including administration (e.g. filing of patient reports and scanning documents) as well as more scientific based tasks such as performing basic techniques. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, have fun and make a real difference to our lifesaving work.</p><p>What skills and experience you need </p><p>You don’t need to have any previous experience, but it will help if you have worked or volunteered in a lab environment before. All you really need is to be enthusiastic about our work and willing to spare a few hours each week, during the day. The envelopes can be quite tricky to cut open, and there are lots to unpack, so you’ll need to be happy and able to work with your hands for a few hours at a time. You’ll also need to have good attention to detail, as filing patient reports or basic scientific techniques need to be completed accurately and precisely. You must be over the age of 18 take on this role. </p><p>What you can expect from us </p><p>Support We will provide you with all the training you need and support you throughout your time with us. We will give you all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment you need, such as gloves, lab coat and goggles and equipment. You will be supported in your role by members of the DNA extraction team, under supervision of Clinical Scientist or Laboratory Scientist. Expenses If you incur expenses as part of your role (e.g. travel, lunch) we’ll reimburse them in line with Anthony Nolan’s expenses policy.</p><p>How much time this will take </p><p>Ideally, we would like someone for 2-3 hours per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, during the day, but we are flexible about the hours and days you volunteer. </p><p>What next?</p><p>If you are interested in the role please fill in our short application form. If you are shortlisted we will invite you to an informal chat to discuss the role. </p>