SCOTLAND should take inspiration from its patron saint and be a "safe haven" for all those who settle in the country, Nicola Sturgeon has said in a St Andrew's Day message.
The First Minister said St Andrew, whose birthday is celebrate today, was "a perfect embodiment of the warm welcome and kindness which we extend to all who come to Scotland".
In his message, David Cameron described Scotland as a "constant source of pride and passion".
The Prime Minister, who will mark St Andrew's Day with Downing Street reception later this week, said Scotland "helps put the Great in Great Britain".
Ms Sturgeon said: "St Andrew spoke up for the less privileged.
"He was responsible for drawing attention to the existence of the loaves and fishes which eventually fed the 5000.
"He championed the minority and saw that they were included.
"At this time, when the world is touched by terror and people are fleeing their homeland in search of peace, Scotland can draw from its patron saint and continues to be a place of safe haven."
She added: "We are a nation which has welcomed and will continue to welcome many people from across the world over the years.
"From China to Poland, from Syria to India, people have brought their cultures and traditions to this country.
"Our communities have benefited and so has the richness of our lives, making Scotland the thriving country it is today.
"Let's use today, our national day, to reinforce that warm welcome."
Mr Cameron has ordered the Saltire to fly over Downing Street and British embassies around the world.
He will invite representatives from business, the arts, the UK armed forces, sport and charity volunteers to celebrate St Andrew's Day.
They will be piped in by a piper from the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and treated to Scots produce including haggis, smoked salmon, Aberdeen Angus beef and Orkney cheddar.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel