AMIL and Amina arrive in Glasgow in winter, a grey and cold city very different from their own ... but where the warmth of welcome makes them feel at home. So starts Glasgow’s Welcome – a new picture book, inspired by the stories of refugee families and work done by local charity Refuweegee to offer a proper Scottish welcome.

The book was launched yesterday at Glasgow’s sunny Southblock, where – far from the horrors of war – children, young people and their parents remembered the welcome they also received and the relief of arriving somewhere safe.

Written by author and founder of Serafina Press Jennifer Doherty, Glasgow’s Welcome is being published in English, Gaelic and Arabic, allowing Scottish children to read about the experiences of refugee children, who may well be classmates, and also refugee children themselves to relate to the uncertainty of an unfamiliar culture, depicted in the story.

Marwa Daher who fled Syria with her twin sister and her parents in 2011 – and who was reading at the event – said the book perfectly captured both her own anxiety and the welcome she received.

Daher’s family fled the violence in her home country after her 15-year-old brother was killed. They spent a further four years in Jordan, where refugees are often banned from working, before being accepted into the UNHCR’s Syrian resettlement scheme, which has seen over 1000 people arrive in Scotland. Thousands of others have come to Glasgow from countries around the world, fleeing war, persecution and torture.

“First of all we were told we might go to France, then after the interview they said Britain, then we were told Scotland,” she told the Sunday National. “We didn’t know anything about it, even if people spoke English. But when we arrived at the airport everyone was very welcoming. People were waiting for us, they took us to a hotel and gave us food and the next day we went to our accommodation.”

She didn’t speak any English but after just three years at school she passed all of her National 5s and is now 20 and studying media and journalism at college. “Glasgow is totally home, “she said. “This is the country where I’ve been able to achieve my dreams so I owe Scotland a lot. When I came to Scotland people helped me, now I’m able to help other people.”

Also attending are nine-year-old Sinimar, her five-year-old sister Hams and their mother Sanaa Alfrouh, who also fled Syria in 2013 for Jordan. They have been in Scotland for 18 months and came to the event because of Sinimar’s love of reading – she especially loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid and devours new library books every four days.

In the first village they were sent to under the same UNHRC programme, they faced racism but are now settled happily in Milton of Campsie, where the school is “fantastic” and the whole family have made friends. “Syria was really bad by the time we left,” said Alfrouh. “When we came to Scotland I was worried if people would accept us but where we are now they have been so welcoming.” A psychologist, now hoping to do a PhD, she misses her parents, friends and professional life but is so grateful that her family are together and safe. “What more do you need when you have lost everything else in the world?” she asked.

Author Jennifer Doherty said: “I was incredibly touched by the stories I heard through Refuweegee and people who had stepped up to offer a welcome. I didn’t want to sugar coat anything but I wanted the book to feel safe for the younger reader, to provide a little spark of comfort.

“It’s also about recognising Glasgow and the sort of swaggering, rackety quality that has such a warm heart.” The book, she adds, is deliberately full of the city’s recognisable landmarks in the illustrations by Gillian Robertson, including Kelvingrove Park, the Rive Clyde, the Barras and Central Station.

Selina Hayles, founder of Refuweegee, said the organisation, set up in December 2015, was about showing the power of “the simplicity of kindness”. In that time it has given out more than 2000 “welcome packs” which include letters written by local school children, and held events from ceilidhs to community meals.

“People are often in shock when they arrive,” she added. “They sometimes don’t even know where they are in the world and nothing has been explained to them. The book feels like a thank-you for everyone who has been involved so far. I hope it will inspire others to do something similar.”