I KNOW the important work of the Anthony Nolan trust as I have been on their register for stem cell donors for over a decade.

Currently Anthony Nolan is organising a Capes Vs Cancer campaign to raise awareness about how ordinary people between 16 and 30 can be heroes to those affected by blood cancer, and to challenge the stigma around stem cell donation that persists in some communities.

There are more than 550,000 people on the Anthony Nolan register including 7675 in Glasgow, and making over 1000 matches every year.

However, the more people that join the register, the higher the likelihood that a match will be found for each and every person in need of a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant.

In particular they need certain demographics to sign up in higher numbers, including young men and BME communities.

In 2014 men made up three quarters of those called upon to donate but only made up one third of new sign-ups and, crucially, the chances of finding a match drops from 90% for white Europeans to just 40% for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

You may have heard some pretty terrifying rumours about donating stem cells, including giant needles and unbearable pain, but donating is very different these days.

In fact, the vast majority of stem cell donations are now made through blood, and those donating via bone marrow are almost always put under general or local anaesthetic.

It’s also so easy to join the Anthony Nolan register – all you need to do is spend five minutes filling out a form and then send a saliva sample off in the post.

If you aren’t already on the Anthony Nolan register and would like to sign up to be one of their local heroes, or find out about eligibility, visit http://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-life/donate-your-stem-cells.

As an MSP for Glasgow part of my job is to provide support to some of the many fantastic community centres and volunteer and third sector organisations across the city.

What I have always been proud of is the generosity of Glaswegians, including those in the private sector.

I have always been impressed by the business people I have called upon to help local organisations, and have never once let us down.

One organisation I’ve been privileged to get to know and watch grow since I became an MSP in 2011 is Radiant and Brighter - a community interest company which provides vital job and IT training to migrant communities, particularly refugees.

When I heard that they were struggling due to a lack of computers I immediately thought of E Waste Solutions, which has a charitable arm – the JBR foundation. E Waste Solutions is a registered charity and social enterprise which repairs and sells electronics.

Last Monday E Waste joined me in a visit to Radiant and Brighter, where they were kind enough to donate two refurbished desktop computers.

These are just two examples of the many volunteer organisations and charitable business people across our city – thank you for working to make Scotland fairer and better place for all.