News in brief

• A bracing May Day tradition in St Andrews will make a virtual splash. Instead of the dawn dip in the North Sea, organisers of the Soaking for St Andrews appeal are asking students to get drenched wherever they are and share footage on Instagram. The challenge organised by the Fellowship of St Andrews student group, raises money for the University Community Fund to support students in the town during the Covid-19 crisis.

• Doctors in Tayside have held 11,000 remote consultations this month with the aid of the Near Me video link service. The scheme, which lets GPS, clinicians and mental health staff speak to patients without seeing them face-to-face, was launched before lockdown but is being used more regularly.

• The Freemasons of Tayside have helped care homes and Marie Curie nurses via a fund set up to help during the pandemic. More than 2,500 items of PPE have been delivered, with another 5,500 on order. The organisation has 13 coordinators for Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Carnoustie, Monifieth, Brechin, Forfar, Kirriemuir and Glamis. A team of 40 volunteers is collecting essential shopping/ medicines and making fresh fish deliveries to communities.

• All seven of Fife’s affiliated Highland games have fallen foul of the coronavirus. St Andrews Highland Games, which were to be held on July 26, follow Markinch, Cupar, Ceres, Thornton, Burntisland and Inverkeithing, which have already been scrapped for 2020.

• A new network has been launched to help volunteers link up with vulnerable people in Dundee. Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action teamed up with local entrepreneurs Barry White and Michael Carr on getlocalsupport.org, which allows people who are selfisolating to request a helper for shopping, prescriptions or dog walking.

• The drinks giant Diageo has manufactured 55,000 bottles of hand sanitiser at its Leven bottling plant. The 500ml bottles are being donated for free to care homes, home care workers and volunteers who are helping the vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic. Diageo is also working with Fife Council to distribute 10,000 bottles of the gel locally.