Edinburgh Napier University

Isabel Dosser was born and raised in Glasgow but relocated to South Africa with her family in her early teens. When she was 16 years old, she was ready to make her mark on the world and leave home, so she enrolled on a nurse training programme in a city three hours away. Isabel admits that she wasn’t fulfilling a childhood dream with this appointment, instead, nursing students were required to live in the nursing residential quarters, and Isabel knew that this was the only way that her family would agree to let her move out. However, she quickly became devoted to the profession and went on to have a long and successful career. 

Eighteen months after first starting her training, Isabel and her family returned to Scotland. After gaining her nursing qualifications, Isabel initially worked in general nursing before specialising in palliative and end of life care. She had roles in the NHS, Marie Curie Hospice, and was Manager at a Macmillan Centre (Macmillan Cancer Support) leading a team who supported patients with cancer and requiring palliative care. Throughout her career Isabel has undertaken multiple further study opportunities to expand her knowledge and employment options. In 1993 Isabel enrolled on the first part time degree programme in Scotland. Five years later, after balancing part time study with raising three children and working, she graduated – becoming the first in her family to do so. In the early 2000s Isabel gained a Masters in Advanced Nursing.

“Nursing is really diverse. I knew early on in my career that I couldn't work with children or do mental health nursing. There is a place for all of us and mine just happened to be end of life care.”.

“Talking to patients or their families doesn’t faze me at all. Some people get nervous and don’t know what to say. But the truth is you don’t need to say much. It’s more about listening and not being afraid to do that.”

In 2004 Isabel applied to become a lecturer in nursing at Edinburgh Napier. Her vast clinical experience appealed to the hiring professor; however, Isabel didn’t have a teaching qualification and was therefore required to undertake this during her probation period. Isabel studied for this at the University and in 2006 she added ENU graduate to her CV. Her teaching career spanned 15 years, during which time she became a Teaching Fellow and Senior Teaching Fellow. 

“My time at ENU was an adventure. At first it was like speaking another language, and very different from clinical work, but I very much enjoyed the variety and challenges. I worked and learned from different personalities who had lots of knowledge and experience. I eventually became one of them and mentored many staff as well as students. Mentoring is something I’d done throughout my career and was passionate about continuing this at ENU. I was also given the opportunity to conduct research and travel the world teaching and presenting at conferences. The opportunities were endless if you were willing to work hard.

“I helped develop the palliative care module which ended up being voted Best Module by students. I was very passionate about this as I believe every nurse needs to know about the subject. Although, you’ll find with lecturers that whatever they teach they believe that every nurse should know that!”

In 2016 Isabel began a 3-year phased retirement plan. In her final year of teaching, she attended a conference which included a seminar about poverty. This would ultimately have a profound impact on her activities going forward.

“I wanted to learn more about the UK Universal Credits benefits system to help my students understand how this could affect their patients, particularly families who may have had someone lose their job due to illness.

“I was appalled at how much people were struggling. I knew that I couldn’t change the system, but I had to do something when I retired.”

Isabel didn’t just do something; she founded a charity called Dignity Boxes which collects toiletries and donates them to people in need throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. Members of the public can support the charity by dropping off items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and soap to one of the many donation box sites located in the area. These sites include the iPoint reception areas at all three Edinburgh Napier campuses and Bright Red Triangle’s premises in Fountainbridge.

The donated items are then used to fill Dignity Boxes which are placed in areas experiencing deprivation or a high level of poverty, including seven schools, three of which being primary schools. The charity aims to promote self-worth by allowing those in need to take what they cannot afford from a Dignity Box without having to ask anyone. The number of organisations wishing to receive a Dignity Box has doubled since the cost-of-living crisis began while the number of donations has halved. 

Isabel has recruited a large and committed network of volunteers who have contributed to the success of the charity. Dignity Boxes currently has 35 active volunteers including ENU students, staff and alumni. These volunteers are responsible for a variety of tasks, including picking up and delivering boxes and sorting and categorising stock. 

“I had a young woman who hasn’t passed her driving test yet but was really keen to get involved, so she’s doing our social media. We look for ways of involving people who want to help.”

Isabel has also utilised the support available at the University to build up the charity while also providing students with vital work experiences. For example, she has hosted numerous Live Project student groups which have helped her solve organisational challenges. She also worked with a graphic design undergraduate class to establish a logo and brand for the charity. At the end of this project Emily Geraghty’s work was chosen as the winning design and is still used to this day. Emily and her partner, Jeff Wood, remain keen supporters of the charity and offer their design and web development skills for free. Emily’s employer even donated £400 to Dignity Boxes after she advocated that the charity should be a recipient of the company’s annual charity drive. 

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at ENU’s Bright Red Triangle (BRT), has lent his expertise to the organisation and gave lots of advice to Isabel when she was setting up the charity. He has recently joined the charity’s board as Chair alongside Edinburgh Napier’s Head of Wellbeing and Inclusion, Mark Wilkinson, who has taken on the role of Trustee. 

From the outside, Dignity Boxes appears like it has gone from strength to strength without facing any hiccups, but that is far from the case. Just a couple of years ago there was a huge question mark over whether the charity would continue to operate as Isabel was diagnosed with cancer. However, thanks to the work of the volunteers and board, the charity continued. 

“Life is full of challenges, professionally and personally but I am by nature a positive and pragmatic person. I am fortunate to be surrounded by supportive family and friends who have helped me through difficult times. This was never needed more so than during Covid as I was diagnosed with cancer. The charity’s board of trustees and volunteers were amazing and kept the charity going while I was undergoing treatment. I have now finished my treatment and am monitored regularly.”

The Alumni Awards honour and recognise alumni who have achieved career success and are making a difference in their community. The selection committee felt that Isabel was an incredibly deserving winner of the 2023 Impact Award. The committee commented: 

“Isabel epitomises Edinburgh Napier’s values. As CEO and Founder of Dignity Boxes she is making a huge societal and community impact by providing free toiletries to those most in need. Isabel is an inspiration and a role model for Edinburgh Napier students, alumni and staff, and we are delighted to honour her with the Impact Award.”