INVERCLYDE has warmly welcomed more Syrian refugees who have been relocated in the area as part of a resettlement programme.

A family from the war-torn country arrived in the area on Thursday to start a new life.

They were among 200 Syrian refugees who arrived on a charter flight which landed at Glasgow Airport.

A spokesman from Inverclyde Council said they would do everything they could to support the family as they settle into their new home.

He said: “The council and Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership continue to work closely with local and national agencies to ensure the process is as smooth as it can be for vulnerable families many of them having spent years living in harsh conditions in refugee camps. 

“As a council and a community we are happy to welcome them and to help them build new lives away from a conflict zone.”

A total of 23 Syrian and Afghan families have been relocated in Inverclyde as part of two resettlement programmes.

The refugees have been brought to Scotland as part of the UK Government’s Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme.

They were identified for resettlement from the region by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and have been taken into the care of several local authorities across Scotland.

UK Government immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: “The humanitarian crisis in Syria is unprecedented, which is why we decided to undertake one of the largest resettlement schemes in the UK’s history.

“I am very grateful to the local authorities, community groups and individuals across Scotland who have helped to provide these vulnerable people with a safe environment and the chance to rebuild their lives.”

Last year, a Syrian man who was tortured for nine months and saw his children narrowly escape a deadly bomb attack thanked the people of Inverclyde for helping them rebuild their lives.

Dad-of-three Sahl Abd Al Wahid, 51, fled his war-torn home city of of Damascus five years ago in search of a better life for him and his family after both their home and grocery shop were destroyed.

He is now living in Greenock with wife Zahriyyah and their two sons Mohammed, 10, and Moaz, five, and daughter Tasniem, seven.

Sahl said: “The people have been very, very good the way they treat me and my family.

“It is safe here.

“We’ve had a really nice welcome.The house I lost in Syria, I have found it here. I would like to thank everyone very much because they have provided me, my wife and my children with a new life.”