People in North Uist have rallied round to produce hand sanitiser to deal with the shortage in an environmentally friendly way.
Production of the liquid has been undertaken by distillers at the local North Uist Distillery, away from their usual efforts to create gin and whisky.
Locals have assisted by providing containers and offering to deliver the final product.
In the past week, key workers and the most vulnerable across North Uist, South Uist, Benbecula and Barra have received the first batch.
Now, bulk containers have been placed in local shops, with the option to reduce plastic waste and the carbon footprint by refilling disused soap containers and taking away the need for delivery to homes.
The refill option has been created amidst a national shortage with suppliers of containers unable to meet current demands.
Kate MacDonald, co-founder of North Uist Distillery, said: “Folk were highlighting cases of carers and frontline workers who just couldn’t get their hands on any, so that was when we decided to do something to help.”
And in a solid show of community spirit, approximately 1,000 empty containers were donated locally, alongside the free printing of labels to accompany the newly produced hand sanitiser.
The sanitiser has been produced in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s (Who) recommended recipe, with locals able to purchase liquid at the price of £2.50 per litre with Lochmaddy Shop, Berneray Shop and Bistro and Lovats Supermarket all stocking the bulk containers.
Miss MacDonald added: “We managed in the space of about a day to get a hold of everything.
“We have definitely seen a strong community spirit emerge both with the ingredients donated and all the offers of help.
“We have had loads of volunteers getting it into the right places and into the right hands.
“This is for all of our families and friends. They all live here and we just want to keep people as safe as possible.
“We are just happy there is something we can do to help.”
The distillery has an order for 2,000 bottles in with a supplier, however, has been told an estimated timeframe cannot be placed on when delivery is likely to occur.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan praised the community efforts to provide a green method of dispensing sanitiser.
He said: “The importance of keeping your hands clean in combating coronavirus cannot be understated. This is why we’ve seen such an increase in demand and shortages of products like hand sanitiser.
“It’s great to see this fantastic initiative from the North Uist Distillery, which will make sure people in Uist continue to have access to hand sanitiser.”
