Syrians present thank-you gift to Faculty

Around 100 parents and children enjoyed some unique Scottish hospitality at the event in the Grassmarket Community Project, which had been organised through the charity, The Welcoming.

A group of Syrians followed up the supper with a visit to the Faculty and Parliament House, and brought the artwork with them.

It depicts scales of justice against the Saltire, and its creator, Hasan Al Shbeib, used bits of his wife’s jewellery to great effect.

He said: “We feel grateful that we were invited (to the supper) and had a warm welcome, and wanted to show our appreciation to the Faculty of Advocates. I am not an artist – I’m a builder – but wanted to create something for this special occasion.”

Laura Dunlop QC, who helped arrange the supper and the visit, said: “The gift is a complete surprise – we were all very touched that Hasan had put so much thought into creating this beautiful picture. We will display it with pride, thinking of the people we were happy to welcome to our gathering.”

A short video of the supper can be viewed on YouTube.