A FOOTBALL club and people living on one of Scotland's further-flung outposts are among those banding together to help others forced to isolate themselves because of the threat of coronavirus.

Scottish League Two side Stenhousemuir have formed a community help initiative, aimed at providing assistance to the most vulnerable in the local area amid spread of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, hundreds of islanders in Orkney have formed a similar group to offer support to those who are forced to stay at home while they self-isolate.

Stenhousemuir chairman Iain McMenemy said that volunteers from his club, located near Falkirk, include coaches and parents of youth players.

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They plan to pick up prescriptions for elderly people or even drop in for a visit and a chat to keep spirits up. The service has been set up with a dedicated hotline.

"People want to help, they perhaps didn't know how to, and this is a way we can put them together with those who need help," McMenemy told BBC Scotland.

The Herald:

"We put out a request to parents who may have kids in the community programme and we have a dozen volunteers already. I'm helping out, other board members as well, and community coaches.

"If it's someone who is elderly - I know my parents are now are saying, 'We should just stay in the house and get our shopping delivered' - so anybody in that category who is maybe a bit hesitant about doing stuff, going out, that is the kind of person we are looking for."

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The club's action follows that of shopkeepers Asiyah and Jawad Javed, who have been have been putting together bags with soap, hand gel and masks to hand out to elderly people around the Falkirk area.

Asiyah said: "We own this shop, Day Today Express, in Alloa Road, Stenhousemuir and we're giving away this hand gel and hand sanitiser wipe and a mask for the elderly and infirm customers - for all our local customers who are old and they are infirm, so they don't get this coronavirus."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said people aged over 70 will be asked in the coming weeks to self-isolate for up to four months, in order to protect them from the virus.

However, there are fears that older people may struggle with loneliness, or have difficulty accessing supplies.

On Orkney, a Mutual Aid Group was founded on social media by islander Sarah MacGregor on Saturday. Since then more than 840 members having joined.

There have been offers of doorstep deliveries of essentials and friendly phone calls from across the county, which currently has no cases of the virus.

She said: "I have set this group up to co-ordinate volunteers and requests for help from people either effected by the coronavirus, or the measures to protect the population from the spread of this virus.

"The aim is to organise volunteers to help those in need- perhaps elderly or other vulnerable people that need help with shopping or other essentials, or those who have to self isolate and don't have anyone to go and get essentials that they need."

She added:  "It's about an organised community, that's ready for anything."