Resettlement of Ukrainians: Coatbridge

Blair McDougall Excerpts

Wednesday 26th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow West) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to contribute to this short debate. I will be brief, but I want to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge and Bellshill (Frank McNally) for securing this debate, and add my comments to his in praise of the excellent work done by people and communities in his constituency.

It is a pleasure to hear such heart-warming stories coming out of such a dark and difficult situation. Like my hon. Friend’s constituency, my home city of Glasgow has a long, proud record of welcoming refugees; the city has eventually become their home in many cases. My constituency of Glasgow West has a particular record of welcoming people fleeing conflict in their native land. In the 1970s, Drumchapel played host to many people fleeing Chile because of the brutal and fascist regime of General Pinochet. Many of those refugees were fortunate enough to be able to return home after Pinochet’s downfall, but others chose to stay and make Scotland their home, and many of those who stayed ended in Lanarkshire, close to where my hon. Friend is from.

In the present day, my area has welcomed the Ukrainian refugees fleeing Putin’s murderous onslaught in their country. Many of them, as my hon. Friend said, were originally accommodated in cruise liners—not the best of starts, perhaps, but at least it was a safe refuge for them, and it is there that many of the cultural activities and school classrooms that have been developed began. The fact that people were together in a confined space obviously helped make that happen.

The joyous part of the story for both the Ukrainian and Chilean communities is that our local Glaswegian communities have been so enriched by being able to be part of their lives and their celebrations, and they have learned so much about another culture on the way. Over the past three years, I have attended many concerts and church services that have been both moving and enjoyable. On 24 August last year, I was delighted to again join in the Ukrainian independence day family fun event in Victoria Park in my constituency, an annual event that is much anticipated. With workshops, music and dance, as well as sporting events, it is truly a fun day, but I hope nobody will ask me to demonstrate what I learned, as I definitely do not have the skill to replicate Ukrainian art. I tried very hard, but I am afraid that my attempts were pretty pathetic.

[Blair McDougall (East Renfrewshire) (Lab)]

I was not planning to intervene, but I am minded to mention the 80th anniversary of Operation Open Door, in which the Royal Navy went to Norway to rescue 500 refugees who were under extreme terror from the Nazis. They were brought to my constituency, to the village of Neilston, where they found sanctuary and humanity among the villagers. Does she agree that the relationships and cultural exchanges that she describes will last for generations, as they have in my constituency?

[Patricia Ferguson]

I agree with my hon. Friend. When there is more time, I will share with him my experience of being the manager of Glasgow dental hospital, where many Norwegian dentists were trained after the second world war.

In the context of the Ukrainian celebrations in my constituency, I must mention the Friends of Victoria Park, who do much to promote and protect the park, and who have been generous hosts; the recent installation of a Ukrainian bench in the park is a visible gesture of solidarity. Glasgow also now has an Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain club that promotes a range of services for Ukrainians living in the city and beyond.

I mentioned earlier that the Chileans who lived in Glasgow were eventually able to make a decision about where they wished to live. I sincerely hope that the time will not be too far away when our Ukrainian friends can also safely make that decision for themselves.