PORT Glasgow Juniors have opened their arms to the vulnerable by handing over brand new iPads to Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

The club were keen to give something back directly to coronavirus frontline workers as they look to re-establish community links, having already recently teamed up with Compassionate Inverclyde to boost the charity's coffers.

The Parklea side held a presentation of the tablet devices at the hospital and are delighted the devices will help patients stay in touch with their loved ones during the lockdown.

Chris McKillop, club commercial manager, told the Tele: “We always wanted to do something and to give a bit back to help the nurses directly in Inverclyde.

“We know that the NHS are doing a fantastic job in fighting this awful virus and I don’t really think that anyone could put forward a donation that could equate to the amount of work that they’re doing just now.

“I had a conversation with some of the ward managers, in particular Susan Gallacher, and I’d asked her what we could do to help.

"She told me that they use iPads for a number of reasons, ranging from patient records to helping patients keep in contact with their families making video calls.

“That really stuck with me because when we were speaking with Compassionate Inverclyde, they pointed out that a lot of the older patients who are going into hospital don’t have this kind of technology available to them and have no way of speaking to their family.

“We didn’t want them put to any specific ward because everyone there is doing such a fantastic job, whether it’s nurses, porters or cleaning staff.

"We just wanted to make sure that we could give something back and make sure it got to the hospital directly.

“As a club we don’t have a lot of money, so this money has came from the committee directly.

“Usually it would go back into the club if we were ever struggling to get through parts of a season.

“But the club had always said that we wanted to come up with something to give back and once we’d come up with a plan, the committee were very keen to put the money on the table very quickly, so a great credit has to go to them.

“One of our committee men recently had family in hospital so I think it really hit home for us and that’s why we wanted these iPads to go to IRH."

The Port official was keen to praise tech giants Apple for their assistance, revealing that they were keen to help the cause in the shape of a hefty discount and free delivery of the devices.

He said: “I contacted Apple directly and had a long conversation with a guy from the company who really helped us out, which was just outstanding.

“I was just hoping for free delivery but they came back and agreed to give us three iPads for £1,000 with next day delivery, so in less than 24 hours I had them at my door ready to give out.

“I was speaking to some of the nurses when I handed them over and they were so thankful, which was fantastic.

"I was very quick to thank them back for everything they’ve been doing.

“They’re so modest - they save lives on a daily basis, giving back is the least that we could do.”