Volunteering at golf events has kept Andrew well on course to staying fit

Sporty 82-year-old is a grandad in demand after overcoming brain scare

Volunteering has taken Andrew Noble into worlds he never imagined – and it’s something of a minor miracle, coming just a few years after he suffered a serious bleed on the brain.

The grandfather, 82, from Glasgow, has been volunteering for 15 years at many of Britain’s top golfing events.

Fresh from helping out at Carnoustie during The Open, over the past few days he has been volunteering at the Senior Open at St Andrews and then it’s on to the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the European Golf Team Championships at Gleneagles and back to Fife for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October.

In one day at The Open, his step count was recorded on his phone at 16,415 – and that was just by early afternoon. Since he’s retired from his job as a sales rep, Andrew has never been busier, and he’s hardly ever home.

Andrew said: “Luckily I have an understanding wife. You do a lot of walking on the golf course when you’re volunteering. It keeps me exercising and does keep me fit”. He gave his wife Phyllis a fright a few years ago. The couple were out walking and Andrew started having problems coordinating his steps. Phyllis got him to the doctor, who sent him straight to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

After a lot of tests, he was found to have suffered a subdural haematoma, often linked to a head injury. Blood was leaking into Andrew’s brain from a fall which had happened a long time ago.

Phyllis was given the news that the operation could cause Andrew to have a stroke or leave him paralysed.

The operation was a success but required a recuperation period of around eight months. Andrew couldn’t drive or play golf, but he kept volunteering, which he says probably helped him to recover quicker.

He said: “I have managed to carry on my life as normal. I’m just grateful I am able to do things that I didn’t think I’d be able to do.”