Somewelcome

I was disgusted to read in Tuesday’s Scotsman that the socalled Welcome Hub for refugees from Ukraine had been left unstaffed.

When one considers the experiences refugees have had, plus the trauma of leaving their much-loved homeland, the very least they can expect is a welcoming party providing assistance, support and reassurance.

The Scottish Government has broadcast how welcoming Scotland and the Scots will be to refugees from Ukraine yet the local council and Refugee Council can't seem to appreciate the anguish and trauma the refugees have experienced since the war began.

Even if the council individuals manning the Hub had been asked to volunteer over a weekend, such as happened last Saturday, surely, in the wake of the much-vaunted support by the Government to refugees, there would have been a minimum of say, ten staff to look after the Hub, that is, two staff to accompany a single family to accommodation and several staff in a zoned-off area in the airport to look after families who had arrived and were waiting for staff to accompany them to their accommodation, hopefully with refreshments and toys available.

Even if the council staff do not speak the refugees’ language, they could still assist by showing them a crib sheet with FAQS in English and Ukrainian/russian such as we had in Perth & Kinross schools in order to communicate with Polish and Romanian children. The Scottish Refugee Council and Renfrewshire Council need to organise themselves more effectively.

JOAN REED Berwick-upon-tweed