AN ICE cream van has stocked up with groceries and prescriptions to help Peeblesshire residents.

Martha Gibson has run J&M Ices for a decade, much to the delight of hundreds of kids.

But now the popular Innerleithen resident has decided to requisition her vehicle in the fight against COVID-19.

She said: "Everyone knows if they need anything they can come to Martha. We’ve taken half the stock out of the van and filled it with bread, milk, pasta, rice, flour.”

Vulnerable folk and elderly people who cannot visit shops are able to draw on crucial assistance from Martha and her husband Brian.

Martha said: “These folk can’t get out to do their shopping, so we do it for them. I now have two people on the van, one serving and the other dealing with cash. We’re following all the social distancing guidelines and using anti-bacterial products.

“Most elderly people only deal with cash, whereas others will just pay what they owe into my bank later.

"I ken mostly everyone and I know they’ll pay me one way or another. As long as everyone gets what they need, that’s what’s important to me.”

Martha and Brian have been called “lifesavers” by grateful residents. Meanwhile, many families say the van's familiar tune has brought a bit of normality into the lives of confused children.

And Martha's van boasts a bountiful supply of goodies to "keep the bairns entertained".

Martha said: “We’ve stocked things like puzzles, bubbles, wee things for the bairns, just pocket money stuff for £1. It’s not about making money for us, it’s about helping families.”

Serving their community is something that comes naturally to Martha and Brian, who say they always try to help those in need.

Asked why she does so much, Martha said: “I know what it’s like to struggle. I’ve lived it, I’ve been there. But I lived through a time when neighbours were neighbours.

"You’d never go hungry - one family would give you a bag of tatties, the other some mince, between us we’d put a meal together. You never did without.

“I’ll never forget that, and that’s why I always help those in need. I do it because I want to gie a wee bit back to the community I love.”

And this is summed up perfectly by a member of the community who joined in the praise of this marvellous lady by writing: “If there were a lot more people like Martha, the world would be a better place.”