KIND-HEARTED staff at a Wee County café have donated more than £600 to two charities after people gave the money in appreciation for their lockdown efforts.

Staff at Tilly Tearooms worked tirelessly during the coronavirus crisis to provide more than 6,000 portions of soup and cake to the Dementia Project in Dunblane and the community council's project in Tillicoultry.

As a thank you for their effort, residents began donating money to the tearoom staff, eventually gaining £625. And now, the staff have decided they would rather it went to charity with Strathcarron Hospice and Reachout with Arts in Mind the beneficiaries of the cash.

Reachout With Art In Mind is a unique and valuable resource in Clackmannanshire. Based in Alloa, the award-winning charity has been delivering creative opportunities, education and wellbeing to local communities since 1993.

Using expressive arts as the vehicle, the service delivery model promotes informed wellbeing choices and mental health awareness to maintain wellbeing and prevent relapse.

Lesley Arthur, chief executive of Reachout, told the Advertiser the money will be well spent.

She said: "This year has been a considerably challenging time for people and for those already socially isolated, in poverty and experiencing mental health problems Covid-19 has increased mental ill health and seen a marked increase in fear and anxiety.

"As Reachout studio programmes closed, their aim was to stay connected to their community by sharing information and move to remote creative opportunities.

"Reachout was fortunate during this time to employ another member of staff through Community Jobs Scotland to support the adapted and improvised response to their members' needs.

"Working in partnership through this pandemic has enabled Reachout to distribute projects to people's homes including Gnome Sweet Gnome – Stay Gnome – Stay Safe, a postcard project and gratitude journal.

Lesley continued: "Our ongoing partnership with Tilly Tearoom has enabled our members to host exhibitions and sell their work to the local community, feel valued as artists and welcomed by the community.

"Generous donations made by the local community to Tilly Tearooms through our charity tins has contributed to providing activities, trips and events for our members over a number of years.

"This Covid donation will create a new remote creative project involving our local communities which in due course we will be excited to share online on our website online exhibition.

"We would like to give a huge thank you to the staff team and customers of Tilly Tearooms."

For more information on Reachout visit reachoutwithartsinmind.org.uk