A place of safety here in Linlithgow

Watching the war unfold in Ukraine has been horrifying for all of us, but it is a living nightmare for one local Linlithgow family I’ve spoken to this week who still have relatives trapped there. While the ongoing fundraising for the Disaster Emergency Committee is wonderful, Anastasia Martin’s family are desperate to help house Ukrainian refugees here in Linlithgow as soon as possible.

Private residents are already offering spare rooms to refugees, but here in Linlithgow, we could offer 15 rooms in the Low Port Centre to fleeing families in search of a place of safety. I have contacted West Lothian Council to see if using Low Port Centre in this way is a possibility. While we wait for an answer, we would urge people once more to give what they can to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal: www.dec.org.uk 

It's perhaps fitting that the newly unveiled statue of St Michael stands right next to the Low Port Centre. Our town’s motto is St Michael is Kind to Strangers, and of course he is the patron saint of Ukraine. On behalf of the West Lothian Liberal Democrats, we are sending all thoughts to those affected by the Ukrainian invasion. And we fully support using the much loved Low Port Centre to house Ukrainian refugees, so that our community can welcome those looking for a place of safety.