An anonymous Courier reader has given a cash boost to a Dundee student left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after her curtain company employer collapsed.
Mhairi Rutherford said she was still in “disbelief” after the kind-hearted donor gifted her £500 after reading her story last week.
The 22-year-old fourth-year history student said the windfall had come as “a complete surprise”.
She said: “I’m very, very happy and my feeling is still disbelief. It is really lovely for someone to decide to make my life better by doing that.”
Mhairi, who was a part-time worker at the Montgomery Tomlinson concession in Dundee’s Debenhams store, lost her entire summer wages when the Flintshire-based curtain company went into administration last week.
Mhairi and her colleagues were told over a conference call that the company had no money to pay their wages the following day.
Mhairi, who lost out on almost £700 as a result, then had to call her manager, who was on holiday in France, and break the news that she had also lost her job.
She said: “People saw the story and I got a lot more sympathy than I thought I probably deserved. I lost my job but I’m fortunate because I don’t have too many financial responsibilities and it was more of an inconvenience.
“But a lot of people who lost their jobs were supporting their families.”
Mhairi said that the anonynous benefactor’s gesture had made a big difference to her summer.
She said: “I am going back to university so the money will be exactly what I need to pay off my student overdraft. That was the original plan for my wages.
“I was looking forward to getting out of my student overdraft with the wages.
I have updated my CV so I will go to other retail places and I’m lucky that I do have retail experience, so hopefully I can get another part-time job.”
The anonymous benefactor contacted The Courier after reading Mhairi’s story saying she wanted to assist the student.
She said: “Quite simply, the reason I am doing this is is because I know how distressing it can be when you are on a low income and the money does not come in when it’s expected.”