Man, 77, robbed in his home

AN elderly man has been left shaken after he was assaulted in his own home during a robbery just days after Christmas.

The 77-year-old was within his home in Wingfield Gardens when he answered the door to two men who assaulted him.

The pair made off with a sum of money and some personal items.

Police have labelled the attack “despicable”, and urged anyone with information to come forward.

The suspects, both aged around 35, were wearing tracksuits.

THIS Christmas, a group of refugee kids got to experience the fun of the fair for the first time, courtesy of local community group Glasgow Afghan United.

A group of 90 women and children led by Glasgow Afghan United visited the Irn-Bru Carnival at the SEC on December 22 to take in the rides, food stalls and flashing lights of the fair.

The children, many of whom are originally from Afghanistan, attended the fair with Glasgow Afghan United, a community project which aims to promote the cultural integration of immigrants and refugees from a variety of countries, including Iran, Zambia and Somalia.

The children were delighted by their trip to Europe’s largest indoor fun fair and it was a first for most of them. The organisers said the vast majority of the kids had never even heard of the carnival before.

The visit was organised as part of the group’s educational classes, which expose the group’s members to classic Scottish activities and locations, such as the Irn-Bru Carnival.

The organisers say these classes boost the confidence of members, many of whom struggle with travelling independently.

One of the women who attended the trip to the carnival at the SEC said: “What a great outing for the children! It was as if their best wishes had come true.”

Another commented: “It was indeed a great and enjoyable day not just for the children but for the ladies.

“It was good to see everyone having fun with friends and families and especially for the group of girls that went on the Viva Mexico, a great experience.”

The group’s founder, Abdul Bostani, spoke to the Glasgow Times about the importance trips like this have in encouraging the integration of refugee and migrant women into the city’s social and cultural life.

What is usually a staple of a typical Glaswegian kid’s

Christmas can be a real luxury for those recently arrived in the country, Bostani explained.

Glasgow Afghan United paid for the visit, which allowed families who would otherwise need to watch their wallets carefully to fully enjoy the trip.

He said many of the women, some of whom had only been in Glasgow for a matter of weeks, were “reluctant to leave the house and when they did it was only with their husbands or for shopping”.

Bostani said that some of the women supported by the group struggled severely with loneliness and isolation: “Some of the things we have seen are shocking, people phoning ambulances because they were lonely, they were so depressed. Some couldn’t travel alone, but now can get from one side of the city to the other.

“We have taken women on trips to Stirling to see the castle and to Edinburgh. We want to show them the culture and history of Scotland.”

Bostani said he wants women “to know they have rights and to be able to exercise their rights.”

The younger kids enjoyed the soft play area and the bouncy castle, while the older children and their mothers went on the rides.

Bostani was struck by the women’s enthusiasm for the fair, and said they were as keen to go on the rides and enjoy themselves as their children.

Glasgow Afghan United was founded in 2004 by Bostani as a community amateur football club with the aim of integrating refugees and recent immigrants to the cultural life of the city.

It has since expanded to include educational classes, English language education, employability and skills workshops and training for working with children and young people.

The trip was organised by Nagineh Azar, the project co-ordinator of the women’s empowerment group, which aims to give migrant women living in Glasgow the skills and confidence to travel independently, as well as the freedom to leave home and enjoy normal day-to-day activities.

She has worked part time for the project since 2018 and studies engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Bostani hopes the project will empower and embolden the women involved to become more confident and more active in their communities.

In a promotional video for the group, Azar describes how it has “expanded enormously” to include 60-70 women since being