Friends of Al-Amal project helps with NHS items
The strong community spirit among Aberdeenshire’s New Scots is being recognised once again as families work to produce scrub bags for health and social care workers to carry home and wash their scrubs in.
Syrian and Iraqi families who live in Aberdeenshire are helping to making scrub bags and non PPE compliant face masks for NHS staff and care workers at Inverurie Health Centre, Ward 404 at ARI and local care homes in Inverurie and Ellon.
And now, they're looking for your help by donating cotton materials.
On Wednesday morning, one of the Syrian families shared on their New Scots WhatsApp group that they were hoping to support NHS Grampian and Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership - AHSCP by making the bags for health and care workers.
This was immediately met with responses from lots of others keen to lend a hand, a pattern and specifications were sourced and then they got to work that night using materials they already had at home or donated by neighbours.
By this morning (Thursday), Syrian and Iraqi families had produced 52 scrub bags and the first delivery has already made its way to Inverurie Health and Care Hub.
The next delivery will go to a local care home where one of the New Scots team works and after that they’d like to share them with the community nursing team.
Mwaffak Araman who is one of the main producers of the bags along with a friend who was a fashion designer in Syria, was a tailor in Damascus before he settled in Inverurie four years ago.
The group hopes to continue making the scrub bags for as long as they’re needed but they’re looking for local residents to donate fabric.
The material must be made of cotton or a minimum 50 per cent poly cotton mix and they are appealing to people in the Kintore and Ellon areas to drop off donations of items such as sheets, duvets or pillowcases when they’re out on their next essential journey.
To arrange a drop off, either email Katie MacLean via katie.maclean@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or via the Al-Amal project page on Facebook
