Main navigation:

Nazir Ahmed

Nazir Ahmed arrived in Scotland in 1957 when he was just 20-years-old. He spent one week in Glasgow before moving to Stornoway where he stayed for 42 years.

"When I arrived on the island I had no idea I would stay so long," says Nazir. "I came to Scotland because things were difficult in Pakistan and I needed the work. Wearing western clothes was not new to me but the food was different and the food I was used to in Pakistan was not available in Stornoway.

"My intention was to make a quick buck and leave but circumstances changed and Scotland became my permanent home."

Nazir worked with his uncle, who arrived in Stornoway in the 1930s, selling clothes door-to-door all over the island. He then went into business with his brother, buying and managing shops and selling them on.

In 1999, he moved to Glasgow when his children started studying at university in the city.

"I thought Stornoway would be my resting place but because the children were moving to Glasgow my wife and I decided to go with them. We wanted to be near the family and after we sold the business there wasn’t anything for us to do on the island.

"We loved Stornoway and have happy memories of it. We all learned to speak Gaelic and were very much a part of the community. We attended people's weddings and funerals and never felt like we were foreigners.

"Now we are in Glasgow and my family have their own kids who visit everyday and we are very much at home here too.

"Moving to a new country to start a new life was a big step for me and others like me. But the world is always moving and the more you integrate the less you have to fear."