An appeal to help the people of Ukraine has had an instantaneous and wholehearted response from Perthshire residents and the local community.
Teacher Wioletta Hass-Lipinska, head teacher at the Polish Saturday School in Perth, saw her pupils making posters in support of Ukraine.
She said the local community is “beyond fantastic” for the way people have gathered clothes, medicine and toiletries for refugees streaming out of war-torn Ukraine.
Community groups in Perthshire mobilised over the weekend to collect essential items to go to Poland and Ukraine by lorry on Wednesday, March 2.
The donations will be primarily for the refugee women, children and babies who are entering Poland to escape the fighting in Ukraine as the independent European state erupts with bloodshed and danger. Many men have stayed behind to defend their country.
Chillingly there are calls for bandages, dressings and painkillers as the civilian population has become fighters almost overnight.
In Perth city centre, two shops - Touch of Poland and Polish Taste - have been accepting donations.
The ESOL English language school in Drummond House, Perth has also become a donation hub.
Culture Perth and Kinross offered the county’s libraries as places to bring items for Ukraine. Soon however, the library staff had to ask people to hold on to items as they had more than they could cope with.
An idea came from the UK’s National Polish Scouts Association (ZHP) who have been in direct contact with the association in Ukraine.
The Polish Scout Group's leaders in Perth Paulina Rybicka and Kasia Guzowska found the girls and boys needed little prompting to get involved.
ZHP Perth has put out a list of items they need.
Already donations of clothing have been vast, so they are now asking people to concentrate on items that can be used for children and babies, and wounded civilians. These include blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, thermos flasks, flashlights, prams and child seats, children’s clothing, painkillers, tourniquets, diapers, sanitary napkins, toilet paper, cleaning products, mineral water (small bottles), dry food, and formula milk.
At first over the weekend Polish residents reached out in their own language to gather help for Ukraine which borders their homeland.
But soon the messages went out in English and the wider Scottish population responded.
In other parts of Perthshire, donation points sprang up.
Aberfeldy people brought donations to Glen Lyon Coffee Roastery, soon filling the covered outdoor seating area with bags.
The Atholl Centre in Pitlochry was taking items on Monday and Tuesday but reached capacity by Tuesday mid-morning.
Local volunteer Judith Dingwall said: "We have been collecting here at the Atholl Centre for this first urgent shipment.
"We have been amazed at people's willingness to give. We have reached capacity for now, but we are not turning anyone away. We will work out storage next. We've recruited volunteers to load vans tonight.
"Like communities across the country we are all banding together - our local Pitlochry Scout Group are collecting donations at their meetings this evening at the Scout Hut, Mackenzie's Coffee Shop on Atholl Road are also a day time drop off point and we have heard that one of the outdoor clothing shops in town offered a discount when told that purchases of sleeping bags and clothing were for the people of Ukraine."
In Comrie, creative workshop Lesley Mac Makes took donations on Monday and also the Co-op in Crieff .
Wioletta Hass-Lipinska told the PA how overwhelming the response was.
She said: “Before I say anything else I want to tell Scottish people how wonderful and generous you have been.
“We thought this would be a small collection when we triggered an appeal on Saturday, but what has happened - the black bags and boxes just keep on arriving - is beyond my greatest expectations.”
Polish shop owner Michal Ciemniewicz has Touch of Poland in South Methven Street, Perth.
He has two shops in Edinburgh and others in Arbroath, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.
The Perth store and all the others have been giving storage to donations which has been the main preoccupation for shop staff all weekend.
“I am helping, yes. Just a little,” said Michal. “But what else was I to do? What is happening in Ukraine is truly terrible.
“Polish people everywhere stand in solidarity with Ukraine.”
In Perth’s Crieff Road, Polish Taste grocery shop was also hard at work taking in gifts from local people wanting to help.
A ‘Scout mum’ Magda Szmeichel works by day at Citizens Advice Bureau, Perth.
She has been assisting Paulina Rybicka and Kasia Guzowska of the Polish Scout Group based in Perth with the smoothly-run collection operation.
Magda said: “We have been overwhelmed by how many Perthshire - Scottish families as well as Polish - have been willing to give,” she said. “A lorry leaves Perth on Wednesday. It will go to a sorting hub in Doncaster and then on to Poland.”
She added: “We are already thinking of the next transport.
“We are planning to focus on what mothers and children need especially.”
In Perth prayers for people of Ukraine are being encouraged. The Lady Chapel at St Ninian's Cathedral is open all week, should anyone wish to light a candle and pray.
And the Kirk of St John's will also be open every day this week from 10 - 4pm, with a book of condolence available to sign.
