Shopping centre answers prayers

Shoppers will be able to take time out and pray at Braehead

A prayer room for visitors of all religions has opened in a shopping centre to "provide moments of peace and solitude" away from the crowds.

Braehead shopping centre, near Glasgow, has opened the room on the lower mall.

Operations manager David MacGregor said: "We want to do all we can to cater for visitors to the centre."

Religious leaders praised the move and described it as "a very thoughtful initiative" and a "welcome and a considerate action".

'A calm place'

Braehead's chaplain, Church of Scotland minister Rev Elisabeth Spence, said: "This is a place where people of all religions can come to pray.

"Or it can just be a place staff and shoppers can come to for some quiet contemplation and take a few moments away from the hustle and bustle."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: "The need for a still and calm space in the busy lives people lead is greater than ever."

Dr Shafi Kausar, secretary of the Islamic Centre in Glasgow, said: "Muslims have to pray at certain times of the day.

"We appreciate this facility is being provided. I am sure Muslims will make use of the prayer room."