BUG-busting heroes in Barrhead have been joining forces to spread some much-needed cheer during the coronavirus lockdown.

Among those who have been thinking of others at this difficult time are kind-hearted staff and customers at the Savers store, in the town’s Main Street, who have donated toiletries to care home residents.

They have supplied the likes of shampoo and face cloths to Millview Care Home and The Firs Nursing Home.

Jane Sutherland, assistant manager at the Savers store, told the Barrhead News: “It’s being done nationwide throughout the Savers stores. We decided to do a wee local donation and to get the community together to donate anything they’d like to give in the basket we have at the front of the shop.

“As a store, we were to choose where we wanted to donations to go so we chose Millview Care Home.

“It is basically daily essentials that are going in the packages – shampoo, shower gel, face cloths and sponges – and we take them along to the care home.

“We’re hoping to expand it beyond the daily essentials. I’m going to be putting in biscuits and similar items.”

Jennifer Campbell, manager at Millview Care Home, added: “We really appreciate what the members of staff at Savers have done for us. It is very kind of them.

“They have given us bags of toiletries and bits and pieces that can really help the residents, which is great.”

Elsewhere, 19-year-old Taylor Gilmour has raised spirits by standing in her garden in the Levern area of Barrhead and singing music from the hit film A Star is Born.

Taylor, who is a student nurse at Glasgow Caledonian University, plans to continue singing in her garden every Thursday night, during the weekly ‘Clap for Carers’ event.

Her proud mum Margaret said the response from neighbours to Taylor’s singing has been heart-warming.

She added: “Taylor didn’t expect so many people to come out to hear her sing.

“It made her feel like she had lifted spirits during this difficult time.”

Meanwhile, there has also been praise for staff at funeral directors D Moodie & Co for their efforts during the coronavirus crisis.

Jean Hepburn enlisted the help of young neighbours Lucy, Aimee and Zoe, of Aursbridge Crescent, to create a rainbow picture so it could be placed in the window of the funeral home to thank staff and show support for those who have lost loved ones.

“Undertakers are frontline workers too but they don’t always get as much recognition for what they are doing,” said Jean, who is a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow.

“I contacted one of the pipers from Neilston Pipe Band to play outside the funeral home during the weekly Clap for Carers – then the whole band came along to play for all the undertakers.

“It was amazing. People in all the houses and flats were clapping at their windows too.”

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