A Scottish minister who led the campaign for a 10-year-old orphan to be saved from deportation says the UK asylum and benefits system is leaving people in hardship.
Rev Brian Casey, minister of Springburn Parish Church, has been at the forefront of campaigning for Giorgi Kakava to be allowed to remain in Scotland permanently.
Kakava, originally from Georgia, has been in the UK since he was three but was faced with the possibility of deportation after his mother died in February.
After a high profile campaign that involved the Church of Scotland and support from local politicians, he was granted asylum by the UK Home Office in July but only until his 18th birthday.
A petition started by Casey demanding that he be allowed to remain in Scotland has been signed by nearly 90,000 people.
As the campaign continues, Casey is hosting a Christmas party at Springburn Parish Church for vulnerable members of the community.
Asylum seekers, refugees and people facing hardship as a result of changes to the benefits system will be among the guests on Christmas Eve.
Casey said it was the duty of Christians to show hospitality to strangers, especially the vulnerable.
'My congregation and I are very grateful to all the generous people who donated money to ensure that disadvantaged families in the parish get some Christmas cheer,' he said.
'I have been the minister here for four years and during that time I have witnessed first-hand the impact of austerity, benefit sanctions and a hostile environment for refugees and asylum seekers. It has been heartbreaking.
'So our event is tinged with sadness because it shines a light on the number of people locally who are feeling desperate at this time of year.
'We are delighted that we can offer some help but acutely aware that whatever we do will never be enough.'
Over £4,000 was raised through crowdfunding to host 64 families at the party who have all been referred by a local primary school, housing association, foodbanks and cancer charity Marie Curie.
In addition to a Christmas dinner and festive activities, families will receive Christmas gifts and a £50 Tesco voucher.
The party is being supported by Paul Sweeney, MP for Glasgow North East, and Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, who have both previously spoken out in support of Kakava's asylum bid.
Doris said: 'The warmth and love shown by Rev Brian Casey and the local Church to support those most in need has been inspirational. So has the response to the call for donations.
'Congregations in my constituency often provide real leadership in making those most vulnerable feel welcome and offer support. That has certainly been the case in Springburn.
'I wish everyone involved a happy and peaceful Christmas.'
Sweeney commended Springburn Parish Church for 'making sure that everyone has the opportunity to feel loved and supported'.
'I feel outrage that our welfare system has been so damaged by the action of austerity that such measures are needed at all to help those in crisis,' he said.
'But it speaks to the compassion of our community that they are willing to make this effort.'
According to Scottish Government figures, Glasgow is home to around 5,000 asylum seekers, more than any other single area in the UK. However, they are not allowed to work, leaving it to churches and local charities to help them survive.
In addition to UK rules around seeking asylum, the Church of Scotland has been critical of how the Universal Credit scheme is being implemented.
Universal Credit merged six benefits into a single monthly payment, but the Church said that delays in payments are leaving people worse off than before, and that it should be immediately halted and revised.
