Taiwanese Association 'repays 150-year-old debt' by donating face masks to key workers in Edinburgh

Groups include care homes and Lothian Buses.

The Scotland Taiwanese Association has donated thousands of face masks to key workers in Edinburgh.

The small, volunteer-run association based in Edinburgh, has so far given away 3,900 of the $1 masks for free.

“PPE is desperate for everyone right now,” said a spokesperson for the association.

CrossReach will further distribute the masks.

“We wanted to help, and we also wanted to repay a debt. 150 years ago Scottish people went to Taiwan to build a hospital. Now we want to repay the favour.”

James Laidlaw Maxwell, a missionary educated in Edinburgh, was sent to Taiwan in 1865.

He founded the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan, and also established a clinic which later became the Sin-Lau Christian Hospital.

The first box of 1000 masks was given two weeks ago to St Columba’s Hospice on Boswell Road, whose small team of staff run through about three masks every day.

Masks were given to St Columba's Care Home.

Another box was donated to Lothian Buses, while another was given to CrossReach, run by Church of Scotland, who will further distribute the masks to charities and carers.

Smaller batches of masks were given to other centres.

St Joseph’s nursing home in Robroyston, Glasgow, was given 300 of the masks, while learning disability charity Cosgrove received 200.

The remaining 500 were earmarked for individuals. The association put a call out on Facebook for anyone in need of them to get in touch, and sent out five masks for free to each person who did so.

The association would like to keep in touch with the groups it has donated to and build better links to the community.

“We would like to have a connection with these groups in future,” said a spokesperson.

“People don’t know that much about Taiwan, we would like to introduce our culture to local people. So they are happy and we are happy.”

The association has also said it will purchase and donate more masks if needed in future.