Multi-lingual phone lines and food packages have been provided to support people from ethnic minorities throughout Perth and Kinross.
The Perthshire Welfare Society has set up three new dedicated phone lines to assist speakers of a range of languages. Support in Punjabi, Urdu, Polish, Russian, Slovakian, Czech and Bulgarian, as well as in English, is now available.
Safdar Ali and Azizi Rehman of the society, said the group had been overwhelmed with messages from people seeking help since the lockdown came into force.
The phone lines will provide support to people who are isolated, unsure how to home school their children, or unable to fully understand the news due to language barriers.
The Perth Polish Saturday School has also worked with Perth and Kinross Council to provide food deliveries.
A council spokesperson said this had provided support to residents who are particularly vulnerable and minority ethnic communities who may face additional barriers due to language difficulties, or culturally specific dietary needs.
SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, Pete Wishart said: “The work that is being done by organisations has been really appreciated at this very difficult time.
“We know that getting support to some of our more vulnerable communities is the most challenging, so I am pleased to see support such as food packages being directed like this.”
