I have been privileged to be involved in a storytelling project in Prestonpans primary schools which aims to discover tales within families, and particularly stories about family members, who have a connection with other parts of the world.

It is part of a project to highlight the theme underpinning the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry.

Listening to the children telling their tales about their ancestors and family members has been a deeply moving and revealing process. What came through very strongly was the variety of family heritage and the connections the children share with other parts of the world. Many had tales of ancestors emigrating to places such as America, Australia, Canada New Zealand, but also Africa and other parts of Europe, and even China.

Similarly many children had tales about how their family arrived in Scotland from a wide variety of countries, Some were even born elsewhere but have been brought up here with dual identities and language skills.

As I was signing out of one of the schools, two lads from one of the classes walked by me in the corridor. They seemed to be friends and said a cheerful goodbye to me. I thanked them for their stories, one of which was about Poland.

“A lovely tale about your Polish family roots,” I said to him.

“I never kent you were from Poland,” said the other lad.

“Well I never kent you were from Tranent,” was the wonderful reply.

They both laughed and walked off together.

The exchange was in good humour, and it was a really nice moment. It revealed something that we should all recognise, I think: that we are all ‘other’ or ‘foreign’ in some sort of way, but it is not what defines us or our current identity. In fact, as these two lads showed, it is something to celebrate and share.

During the storytelling sessions, it was so evident that this mixture of heritage and background was something that enriched the children, who could talk with a sense of belonging and pride about another part of the world. There is no doubt in my mind that this also enriches our country and society, and makes Scotland a more interesting and dynamic place to live.

Likewise as a traditional storyteller, I am fully aware that even well-known Scottish tales are in fact a product of cultural fusion and shared experience with other cultures. The tales often encapsulate an essence of Scottish identity, but you can guarantee that a similar version exists elsewhere, and indeed may even be the origin of the Scottish version.

It is the same with people. We are all a mixture of all sorts and our identities and origins may be complex but just as valid as the next person’s. The moment we begin to point a finger at someone and label them negatively as ‘other’ or ‘foreign’ then nobody is really safe, and we all lose.

And so I will share with you a tale given to me by a recent arrival in Scotland. I met Pavel at a storytelling event in Edinburgh, and we got talking. When he discovered I was from East Lothian his face lit up.

“East Lothian changed my life” he told me.

I was intrigued, so at the break of the performance we had a chance to talk, and he told me his tale.

“ I initially came to Scotland for work, not to live here,” he said.

He continued: “I wanted to stay here for about five years and then go home. At first I was really homesick and I had problems understanding Scottish people. I had thought I was good at English and so I thought to myself: ‘What language is being spoken here?!’ “But as soon as I got some Scottish friends it got easier. I learnt that going for the messages wasn’t getting the post, and cheers could be used for saying thank you as well as a toast while drinking!

“I found a job and place to live in Edinburgh and wanted to travel to get to know Scotland better, but I was short of money so couldn’t go too far.

“So someone suggested to me to go to North Berwick and visit Tantallon Castle. When I saw pictures of it I really wanted to go, so the next weekend I got the train to North Berwick.

“As I passed through beautiful farmland it reminded me a wee bit of home. But where I come from the sea is many miles away, and so it is special for me to be able to hear the waves, smell the salty air, but I think it’s too cold for me to swim in.

“When I arrived at North Berwick, I discovered that the castle was quite far away, so I decided to walk to it. I am sure many people have driven to Tantallon, but I can tell you you should walk at least once. The views of the sea, the sight of the fields and just the gradual way you approach the castle makes it a really wonderful journey.

“I only had an hour there as I arrived so late but I sat on the top of the tower and looked across the sea. As I was leaving, a car passed by. It had a man and woman inside, and they kindly asked me where I was going and if I would like a lift.

“It was really nice of them and so they took me to North Berwick. We talked in the car and by the time we got to North Berwick they had suggested getting fish and chips and eating them by the harbour. We got on really well, and also I was very hungry and so of course I agreed.

“We sat at the end of some rocks, and I was told there had once been an open-air swimming pool there. It was cold but sunny, and then as we talked some more I made a wonderful discovery.

“They were not a couple, but were just friends. This was a wonderful discovery because this was the beginning of me becoming Scottish!

“I married Suzanne the following year, and now we have two lovely children. They are bilingual, so they can share in both cultures, and speak to my parents and grandparents.

“I know I wasn’t born or grew up here, but now I consider myself as a new Scot! I still have an accent but I can also recite Burns.” “A wonderful love story,” I said to Pavel He smiled and said: “So you see, East Lothian is not just the birthplace of the Scottish Flag, it’s the birthplace of my Scottish identity as well!” It was a tale I wanted to share because it was so human and so heartfelt. And it symbolised to me the increasingly diverse and wonderfully rich variety of identities that make up modern Scotland.

Pavel described himself as a “new Scot”, which is a good term, and could have also applied to Robert the Bruce’s father.

His children, like many in Prestonpans and schools up and down the country, share a bond with another part of the world. And this is an intrinsic and important part of modern Scotland’s identity – and a cause for celebration, not fear, discrimination or xenophobia.

As the European elections approach, those politicians, and one in particular, who point a finger at people like Pavel and try to make us fearful of those they describe as ‘other’ should come to Prestonpans and listen to the children share their family stories and variety of cultural backgrounds, and hang their heads in shame.

Lets us celebrate all our varied versions of being in Scotland, and share our stories with pride and equal respect.