It was a simple note decorated with a hand-drawn flower which read: “To your new Syrian residents, with love from Jessica aged 4.”
The box of children’s clothes it arrived with is just one of the many donations that has been collected in advance of the arrival of 15 families from Syria to the Isle of Bute, as part of a UK-wide resettlement programme for the most vulnerable refugees.
Everything from shoes and blankets and spices and chickpeas is being gathered as part of the preparations to welcome the new arrivals in the next few weeks.
Angela Callaghan, founder of non-profit organisation Bute Oasis Food Bank, said: “The amount of people who have come into the shop offering support in helping the new families and really looking forward to meeting them is fabulous.”
The refugees - all Arabic speakers – who will arrive on Bute have a range of backgrounds, from manufacturing and agriculture to academics. Some have qualifications in English literature, while others cannot speak any English.
What they do have in common is they are currently living in tough conditions in camps in Lebanon – some have been there for up to five years - and will be on Scottish soil before Christmas.
They will arrive on a five-year humanitarian visa - which gives them the right to work and access benefits if needed. All of them will learn about their new home through information leaflets handed out on the plane journey over. The west coast island, which has a population of just 6,500 and is only 15 miles long, might seem a far cry from Syria, but Cleland Sneddon, executive director of community services for Argyll and Bute Council said the families have been selected to try to make sure it is not too much of a culture shock.
He said that the refugees were not "city-centre dwellers" from Damascus, and so hopefully wouldn't find it too difficult "suddenly pitching up in Bute in a rural idyll".
“We have got people who are from smaller towns or rural backgrounds and therefore we think the transition, the match, is a little better.”
Sneddon said some of the families had “harrowing” stories, but it would be up to the individuals to choose if they wished to share them when they arrived.
He also said he had met with an imam to try to find out more about the requirements of the refugees, who are Muslim. A source of halal meat has been identified and one of the local churches has offered to make a hall available for the new residents to come and worship.
But he added: “We need to actually talk to the Syrian refugees who arrive – it is a really strong principle for me that we don’t make huge assumptions.”
The need to give the families space is also emphasised by John Duncan, who is helping to co-ordinate an informal group of 60 residents who will run a “pop-up” community centre on the island to help the new families settle in.
The volunteers match the number of the refugees who will be resettled on the island: 28 adults and 31 children – with one extra addition imminent as one of the families is expecting a baby.
Duncan said: “We will be there during the day in the background as and when the families want us – but we will very much take our cue from them and what they want to do.
“They are only just meeting each other on the journey over, so it gives them an opportunity to get together and get to know each other.”
He also said one of his roles had been to “very politely” temper some of the enthusiasm to help the refugees.
“There is an overwhelming generosity and enthusiasm to donate and we just have to work out if there are any gaps,” he said. “But that's great, I’d rather be doing that than scratching around looking for support.”
Not all residents, however, have been so supportive. A recent community council meeting held on the issue attracted nearly 100 residents, with some unhappy over issues such as the refugees being given accommodation which could have been given to homeless people.
However, Bute SNP councillor Isobel Strong, who has been one of the driving forces to have the refugees resettle on the island, said it would help combat the issue of long-term empty housing in the area.
She added: “Although there are some hostile people in the community there are enough people who want to help – I have been inundated with emails of people wanting to help, send money and good winter clothes. I think most of the community is on board.”
Around 20 of the refugee children will start school at Rothesay primary and secondary schools in the New Year. In preparation, pupils at the joint campus having been learning some basic Arabic words – such as ‘hello’, ‘welcome’ and ‘my name is’. A short video showing a child’s view of living on Bute has been made to show to the refugee children and lessons have included learning about the refugee crisis.
Sixth year pupil Jamie Murray, 17, said children from countries such as the Dominican Republic and Poland had previously integrated into the school very well.
“It is such an interesting thing and it is great to be a part of it,” he said. “There is genuine excitement in the school. I didn’t understand the scale of the refugee crisis before – I was quite naïve in that sense. You just don’t realise how big it is.”
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