More than 300 people celebrate diversity at first ever Inverclyde Refugee Festival

HUNDREDS of people joined together to celebrate the contribution of New Scots to society at the first ever Inverclyde Refugee Festival.

The event, held at Lyle Kirk on Union Street, showcased the talents of refugees from all over the world who have settled in Inverclyde.

Members of Your Voice's New Scots drop-in, hosted every Friday by Gaynor Lochhead, came up with ideas for the festival.

Gaynor helped bring the refugee community's vision to life in the event, which welcomed between 300 and 400 people.

She said the event 'surpassed all expectations'.

Gaynor added: "We're absolutely delighted with how it all went and it was great to see months of planning come to fruition.

"We've had really positive feedback from everyone and we're determined the event will be even bigger and better next year.

"This was a great way to start us off."

New Scots set up an amazing array of stalls to show off their products and their skills.

Everyone visiting the festival was wowed by beautiful jewellery, lovingly crafted knitted and crocheted toys, and tasty food.

(Image: George Munro)
Chefs created incredible dishes for visitors to enjoy, and visitors enjoyed musical performances spanning a range of different cultures.

Ladies were also treated to makeovers in the wellbeing room.

(Image: George Munro)
Gaynor said it was fantastic to see so many members of the Inverclyde community joining together with New Scots for the celebration.

She added: "People who have been in our community for many years came here to support our refugee community which is so diverse now.

"It was really great to see that.

"There was a real sense of unity and calm throughout the whole event."

Seyar Qaderi, 38, has lived in Greenock for five months and is an ambassador for the Scottish Refugee Council.

He said it was great to see an event dedicated to the contribution of refugees taking place in Inverclyde.

Seyar added: "This has been an amazing opportunity to meet different people and find out about different cultures.

"Everyone has been able to taste different foods and build relationships.

"It's been great to be able to celebrate diversity within the community and bring everyone together."

The success of the first ever Inverclyde Refugee Festival has acted as a springboard for the launch of a new cafe.

Derek Mitchell, community development leader for Lyle Gateway told the Telegraph that Cafe International will run at the Lyle Kirk on Fridays from 12-3pm.