A national charity has announced plans to close one of its Tayside stores and issued an urgent appeal for volunteers at its Perth branch.
Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland said it was in a “fight for survival” as management announced it was shutting its shop in Crieff High Street.
The Edinburgh-headquartered charity has said it was losing half a million pounds every month over lockdown, while demands on its services soared.
Shops in Clarkston Toll, Johnstone, Stirling and Dumbarton are also going.
A spokesperson said: “We’re devastated to announce the closure of our shop in Crieff.
“We are in a fight for our survival at a time when we have seen demand for our services double.
“In an effort to protect the long-term future of our vital services we have been forced to make the difficult decision to permanently close these stores with immediate effect.
“We looked at every option to try and make things work, but we need to make savings so that the services we offer have a long-term future.”
Staff at the Perth branch, one of around 40 remaining, have issued an urgent appeal for more helpers.
The branch, which re-opened on August 14, raises funds to support people suffering from a range of illnesses including asthma, bronchiectasis and angina.
