IT is the biggest peace-time recruitment drive that Scotland has seen.

And so far almost 4000 people have been interviewed in just over a month for a chance to be part of Glasgow 2014. As Volunteer Week gets under way RACHEL LOXTON meets the 'frontrunners' interviewing the 25,000 hopefuls.

RETIRED nurse Sheila Henderson was speechless when she interviewed a former aid worker who wants to help out at the Commonwealth Games.

The man had been held at gunpoint while he was delivering essential medical supplies to people in war-torn Palestine.

Sheila, 66, from Lenzie, said: "What can you say to that?

"I couldn't write anything down, I didn't know what to say. I thought: just let him be part of the Games."

Sheila, one of the 400 pre-Games volunteers known as frontrunners, admitted she was astounded at the high calibre of people who want to give their time to the biggest sporting event to hit Scotland in years.

Since mid-April she has interviewed around 75 people.

She said: "The people are amazing. The retired man I spoke to was a volunteer for an organisation that put medical aid out to Palestine.

"While he was there he was taken into a camp at gun point. He was told to leave the nurse behind and to carry on. But he refused so he had to negotiate with these guys and get away. I've learned how many good people are out there."

Grandmother-of-three Sheila specialised in paediatric nursing before working with children with motor impairments at the Craighalbert Centre in Cumbernauld.

She retired three years ago and decided she wanted to be part of the volunteer team as soon as Glasgow got the bid for the Games.

She said: "From the word go I decided I was going to volunteer. I applied for it and got asked if I was interested in being a frontrunner.

"As I've done a fair bit of interviewing in my previous jobs they thought I could do this."

Sheila said she interviews people of all ages and from all backgrounds.

She said: "There was a lady from the East End of Glasgow who left school with no qualifications, became a teacher and then a head teacher.

"She was just so proud to be from Glasgow and she was determined to be part of it. There are other people who are unemployed and want to do something. They are from all over, from the south of England to the Orkneys."

Every 30 minutes, 15 people walk through the doors of the Games' offices in Glasgow's Albion Street.

They all share the same goal: to give their time to help with the running of Glasgow 2014, whether that's medal-bearing or transporting the athletes to competitions.

As reported in the Evening Times, more than 50,000 people applied to be one of the 15,000 volunteers needed to make the Games happen.

Around 25,000 people deemed to have the best experience will be inter-viewed by December. Applications to be a volunteer have come from as far afield as Australia.

Alexandria-born Robbie Summers, 21, who has just graduated from Glasgow University with a politics degree, said: "We've had all sorts. There are people from Italy, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

"It's not just Common-wealth countries that are interested, it's people from Europe and from other countries as well."

Robbie decided to get involved after enjoying his time volunteering as a medal bearer at London 2012.

He said: "The reason I got started with the Olympics is because I love sport.

"With the Commonwealth Games being in Glasgow and me being from here, this is the perfect opportunity."

Val Mitchell, head of the Glasgow 2014 Games Work-force, said: "It's a delightful conveyer belt we've got going on here. We can inter-view up to 1000 people a week.

"It's been fantastic so far. We've got an uptake of about nine out of 10 people so most people are turning up for their interviews."

Val said no-one should worry if they haven't heard back about an interview yet.