A north-east group has organised a welcome event for Syrian refugees in the region – and it has received backing from the local community who run Braemar Castle.
Glenbuchat Eclectic Events has arranged for 150 Syrians, who are based in Inverurie, Ellon, Westhill and Kintore, to have a day out on June 17, as part of the celebration of the festival of Eid at the end of Ramadan.
During the event, the group will get a tour of the castle thanks to Braemar Community Ltd.
They will then visit Lonach Hall in Strathdon for some traditional Scottish food and entertainment.
Alan Carr, chairman of GEE, said: “The Syrian New Scots are keen to become part of the community and discover more about the north-east.
“We see this as an opportunity for those of us living in remoter communities to become involved in extending a hand of friendship to our new neighbours.
“The response from Braemar Castle has been tremendous and we have been overwhelmed by the way they have got behind the scheme and offered us so much without looking for anything back.
“We’ve had offers from cooks, translators and musicians and are grateful for the support of the grant bodies.
“But we want to make this as special as it possibly can be, not just for one day, but as the start of a much bigger initiative.”
The scheme has been boosted by grants from the Scotland Comic Relief Community Cash Fund and Marr Area Partnership, but Mr Carr is keen to recruit more volunteers to create longer-term bonds between the Syrians and people in the region.
Dured Alhalabe, chairman of Al Amal (Hope) – the body set up by the refugees, said he was looking forward to the event.
“This event is very important to us because it will bring Syrian New Scots and Scottish people together and is a good step to doing something bigger in the future,” he said.
“The day was chosen because it’s an important day for us, a day of celebration, being outside and having fun and the place was chosen to be a historic Scottish place.
“Getting closer to each other and learning more about each other are the most important goals of the event.”
Aberdeenshire’s refugee resettlement coordinator, Katie MacLean, said: “We work closely with a range of partners to ensure basic needs like health and education are provided for when families first arrive in Scotland.
“But it’s the added value of the kindness and openness of our local communities that makes the resettlement programme special.”
Further information is available here.
