Following a meeting with local residents, the Stirling Council has confirmed it will be receiving a group of Syrian refugees by Christmas.

Over 100 people in the local area attended the “successful” meeting at Stirling’s Albert Halls in October.

Leading the resettlement of the refugees will be an operational team created with NHS employees, financial/welfare advisors and representatives from Housing, Community, Education and Social Work team.

Stirling Council Leader Johanna Boyd stated:

We have been overwhelmed by the offers of support that we have received from organisations, schools and individuals and we are incredibly grateful for these. The Stirling community have shown real kindness in their offers to Syrian refugees, and charity and community groups in particular have been very supportive.

Reports suggest that at this stage 18 councils across the country are willing to help and have signalled that they will be able to host refugees. Scotland is predicted to take one in three refugees in the UK by December, with the first estimated 60 to be housed in Glasgow.

Stacey Burlet, Director of Communities and Partnerships at Stirling Council said:

The success of Stirling’s response will be determined by how this small number of refugees settle within the community, and the impact this has on local residents. These people have encountered horrendous circumstances and are in great need of support, so we want to give them time and space to integrate with neighbours and community groups once they have settled here. We look forward to welcoming them to Stirling. Once we know more about the individual needs of the people who we will welcome to the area (ages of any children, translation, clothing, faith, healthcare etc) we can respond to these generous offers.

Stirling Council advises anyone interested in helping Scotland’s refugee response to visit the Scotland Welcomes Refugees Website

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