Volunteers Go Cross-Country for Crohn's
Our Volunteer Drivers are the driving force behind crucial Crohn's research
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the gut which causes debilitating symptoms in both children and adults.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with the gastroenterology teams at the children’s hospital in Glasgow, and ten other paediatric hospitals across England and Scotland, are running a research study exploring how diet can help children with Crohn’s disease to manage their condition better.
In this study, children with Crohn’s disease are asked to consume a special new diet designed to treat inflammation, or their normal, habitual diet for a period of three weeks. Biological samples (i.e. stool and urine) are then collected and used to study the effect of the diet on inflammation and gut bacteria.
Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity Volunteer Drivers are playing an integral part in the delivery of this trial, delivering these specialist meals and uplifting samples from homes and hospitals.
"These amazing volunteers have ensured that the study runs smoothly, even amidst a global pandemic!"
Kostas Gkikas - PhD student, Human Nutrition,
University of Glasgow
Our dedicated volunteers come from all walks of life and generously give their time to support our young patients. Volunteers like David:
"When I first became a Volunteer Driver for Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, I did not realise at the time to what extent the charity's workforce and volunteers involvement was, not only within the various departments of the hospital itself, but to a far wider range of hospital projects and research.
"I have had the pleasure to be the first Volunteer Driver to deliver the various resources involved to a patient’s home in the City of Hull. I personally feel that my contribution as a Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity driver has played a very small part in this very important research."
Dave Melrose MBE, Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity Volunteer Driver