Overwhelming support has been delivered to an Angus woman’s campaign to help a charity providing bras for African women.
Arbroath’s Jasmyn Russell hoped to be able to donate a couple of hundred bras to the Smalls for All organisation through a social media plea for unwanted underwear.
But she found that her cup truly runneth over after being swamped by more than 2,500 bras from as far afield as Australia.
The underwear is now on its way to Africa as part of the project which aims to help women with the basic items to protect their dignity, with the charity also involved in education initiatives and work to help those suffering from obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury which causes incontinence.
Jasmyn said: “I just started to collect at the start of the year because I had six bras of my own and wondered if there was a charity they could go to.”
She set up a Facebook page appealing for unwanted bras and said the response was staggering.
“Within three or four days there were around 900 likes and they just started to come in.”
As well as dominating her spare time, the idea also took over Jasmyn’s home, with bin liners full of donated bras stacked high.
Arbroath’s Completely You lingerie shop in the town’s West Port, owned by Amanda Duncan and Clare Teviotdale, agreed to be a drop off point and friend Sandra Bancroft went with Jasmyn on the journey to Livingstone to deliver the bras in a van lent for the trip by Montrose Port Authority.
“We have had big donations and people handing in just one or two. Bras have been sent from all over and one person even brought a suitcase full from Australia,” added Jasmyn.
The whole thing just snowballed and the response has been phenomenal. I didn’t expect it to go the way it did and I just want to thank everyone for their kindness.
“Over the last year I have made some truly wonderful friends and this has had a wonderful impact on me and quite a few other women, and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
“It’s opened up the conversation about what women can do with their old bras and highlighted the help that the charity provides.”
