Maryhill Housing has celebrated its multi-cultural communities with a family fun event.

The “Maryhill Around the World” event was held to celebrate the multi-cultural nature of modern Scotland and to ensure that all tenants feel part of the Maryhill Housing community.

Maryhill Housing has tenants from various international backgrounds – including Africa, China and Poland.

There was face painting, balloon modelling, entertainment and international food and soft drinks on what was an enjoyable and inclusive afternoon with a truly global theme.

Maryhill also welcomed representatives from the inspiring Glasgow-based organisation ‘Refuweegee’.

Refuweegee was set up by in December 2015 to provide a warm welcome to forcibly displaced people arriving in Glasgow. As a result of the amazing response from people in Glasgow and beyond, it has provided over 2000 personal welcome packs and gained charitable status in September 2016.

An interesting feature of these packs are letters written by Glaswegians to welcome those being helped in the city. The ‘Letter Fae A Local’ is considered an important addition to the pack and in keeping with Glasgow’s appeal as “the friendly city”. Those attending the Maryhill event designed shopping bags and wrote letters to record their own welcomes.

Maryhill Integration Network was present in the form of dancers – some from as far away as Albania and Greece - and a choir providing spectacular entertainment.

Bryony Willett, chief executive of Maryhill Housing, said: “This was a great way of bringing people together and further strengthening community cohesion. We are pleased to have organised an event which is a celebration of diversity. We are determined to ensure our tenants feel a sense of belonging no matter where they are from.”

Prior to the hugely-successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, Maryhill Housing commissioned a landmark piece of urban art on one of its tenement buildings to show it was proud of – and remains committed to – multi-culturalism.

It was unveiled in time for the Games and has been an eye-catching addition to the busy Maryhill Road. Three children make up the main focus of the work reflecting the diversity and multi-culturalism of modern-day Mayhill.