Perth people have proved themselves to be real team players by donating 105 shirts to a local World Cup football shirt amnesty.
Impoverished people in South Africa will soon be wearing the colours of St Johnstone, Scotland and local sides given to Almondbank Filling Station.
The scheme was part of parent company Jet’s national “Dig Out, Drop Off, Donate” initiative to send shirts to the football-mad country.
Violet Moar, forecourt manageress, said, “We have been so impressed by the generosity of our customers in supporting this very worthy initiative.
“The donated shirts are a real mix of sizes and teams, which is great as we know that every single one will be gratefully received when they reach their end destination in South Africa.
“It’s encouraging to see our own local community get behind an initiative that will make a real difference to other local communities thousands of miles away.”
The shirts will be packaged and distributed by international charity VSO, whose UK director, Brian Rockliffe, said, “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone from Perth.
“VSO is working with two of our South African partners, Far North and Children on the Move, to make sure the shirts reach vulnerable children, many of whom have lost parents to HIV and AIDS and live in poverty.
“In celebration of the World Cup, VSO and Far North, a community organisation in the Limpopo Province, will bring together teams from local villages for an inter-village football tournament on Saturday.
“Donated shirts will be handed out to the hundreds of children taking part.
“Children on the Move will distribute shirts through sports coaching, where education is incorporated into fun lessons.
“For many, these are likely to be the first football shirts they will have ever owned.”
In total, 1053 shirts were donated to 17 Jet sites throughout the UK.