A REFUGEE is creating personal protective equipment for NHS workers in a chance to “give back” for all the support she has received through the years.

Jasna Memic, a City of Glasgow College graduate who moved to Scotland in 1994 from war-torn Sarajevo, is using her own fabric to make gowns and scrubs for doctors and nurses working on the frontline against coronavirus.

She graduated from the city centre college in 2016 with a HND in Furniture Restoration, before setting up her own interiors and furniture restoration business in Maryhill – Little Plum Production.

She said: “So many people have helped me throughout the years, from when I came into the UK as a refugee to when I decided to change my career and start a new business.

“Now it’s my time to give back. It’s a no brainer.

“I feel really privileged that I have a chance to do it.”

She got the idea after speaking to her GP friend who told her the equipment would be useful.

Jasna said: “My friend told me there is a shortage of gowns that GPs can put over their own clothes when visiting high risk patients at home.

“I realised lots of people are making scrubs but not many people are making gowns so I made a few and sent them to GPs who would wear them.

“They were delighted with the quality and asked me if I would make some more.

“I wanted to focus on where I could help most rather than making masks for NHS workers which require a different level of protection.”

As Jasna gets to work creating more gowns and scrubs for NHS workers she said the task has reinforced her belief in the power of community.

And she credits her college tutor, which she described as a “great inspiration” to succeed.

She added: “It’s lovely because it’s giving us a sense of purpose.

“It’s not easy to be stuck at home if you’re not working - you feel so useless.

“To be able to contribute and help the NHS and their incredible staff is brilliant.

“It’s only when we get to a situation like this that people give much more than they were even aware that they could.”