Friday 29 March 2024
 7°C   SSE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Growing solidarity with Syrian refugees

Syrian Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. The conflict in Syria has now the world's largest single driver of displacement - Photo: UNHCR / I. Prickett

SHETLAND’S churches have come out to publicly express their solidarity with the hundreds of thousands refugees heading for Europe from their war torn home countries.

Referring to Moses and Abraham, the chair of the Shetland Council of Churches Trust Dr Val Turner said the Christian faith was rooted in stories of migration.

She said local churches are organising a raft of events to help alleviate the current refugee crisis:

  • St Margaret’s Catholic Church will be holding a bake sale in the parish rooms at 11.30am, followed by a car wash between 11.45 am and 2pm, on 27 September;
  • a coffee morning is being organised by Lerwick Christian Aid and will take place on Saturday 10 October in the Methodist Church Hall.
  • an ecumenical prayer vigil will be held at the Salvation Army on 18 October at 3pm.

Dr Turner said that further money for the Refugee Appeal would be raised through the Lerwick Methodist Church’s harvest soup and sandwich lunch.

“This is by no means an exhaustive list of what is going on, but it gives a flavour of how Shetland’s church communities are responding in quiet, manageable, ways to a situation which feels so enormous, unmanageable and just shouldn’t be happening,” she said.

Turner added that trustees wanted to encourage Christians throughout the isles to actively support both local and national initiatives.

“We are delighted that people are supporting the locally based campaign collecting money and supplies to take to Calais and we know that most mainstream denominations have national campaigns which people in Shetland are also contributing to.”

The Catholic Church has also been instructed by the Pope that every parish is to take in and support at least one refugee family. The congregation of St Margaret’s are looking forward to being able to provide assistance by welcoming people to the area.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

Meanwhile a concert featuring the likes of energetic Scottish folk-rockers Skerryvore will be held towards the end of October in Lerwick to raise funds for the Syrian refugee crisis.

New group Shetland Supports Refugees, who aim to facilitate the integration of refugees into the local community, is hosting a day-long gig at the Islesburgh Community Centre on Saturday 24 October.

The event – which is scheduled to run from 1pm-9pm, will feature a special appearance from folk festival favourites Skerryvore, who will take time out of a Shetland tour to perform.

Local acts confirmed so far include Lisa Ward, Donald Anderson Band, Trookers, Bluemelts, Full Swing, Gary Cleaver, Annalie Irvine and Deja-Vu.

The gig will be free to attend, with donations due to be taken on the day for the likes of CalAid and the World Food Programme.

 

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.