Scottish Catholic Observer

Leith Churches Together will distribute more than 450 Christmas parcels to foreign sailors who are forced to spend the festive period away from family and friends.

The parcels will contain gifts such as home-knitted wooly hats, toiletries and stationery and a Christmas card designed by Eleanor Horton, a 9-year-old pupil at Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Primary School.

The card features the Leith badge and motto and includes the message: “Wishing you Peace and Happiness from Leith, Scotland.”

Jennifer Stark, leader of Leith Churches Outreach Project and part-time chaplain at Ocean Terminal, said the project is about ‘offering the sailors a bit of human contact’ over the Christmas period.

“It’s all about reaching out to people that are a long way from home and giving them a big welcome from Leith,” she said.

Gifts will be taken on to ships by the Scottish Port Chaplains at Christmas time, in Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth, Hound Point, Braefoot Bay and Troon.

Tim Bell, Leith Port Chaplain, said: “Up until abut 15 years ago sailors used to be able to walk in to town for a few hours a day, but now the dock is a security zone and they can not do that easily.

“This initiative is a very welcome bit of reconnection.

He added that: “Many people are surprised to hear that 95 per cent of the things we pay for and buy in this country are brought here by sea and more than 99 per cent of the sailors who bring them over are not British.

“Many are from impoverished countries and spend their working lives earning money to try to get their children out of poverty.”