Aldi to fund the weekly shop for the grandparents bringing Edinburgh families together around the table

As family meals make a comeback, Scotland’s Cheapest Supermarket invites families to nominate grandparents who never gave up on gathering around the table

As more families choose to cook and eat at home, Aldi is celebrating the generation that has always understood the power of sharing a meal together.

Research from Barclays’ UK Consumer Spending Report for May 2026 found that 42% of consumers are changing their spending habits due to rising costs, and are cutting back on takeaways and meals out.

Over the same four-week period, separate transaction data also recorded a 2.7% fall in spending at restaurants, cafés and bakeries.*

With more meals being enjoyed at home, Aldi believes there’s a renewed opportunity for families to reconnect around the dinner table, and nobody knows the value of that better than Scotland’s grandparents.

Influencer Granny Griggly visits Aldi in Peterhead. Picture Simon Price /Firstpix Photography

Today (22 July), Aldi launches a nationwide campaign celebrating the grandparents and grandparent figures whose home cooking has brought generations of families together.

Long before recipe apps, air fryers and social media food trends, grandparents were passing down family recipes, cooking from scratch and creating the meals that became the backdrop to family life.

From bowls of homemade broth and freshly baked scones to Sunday roasts that still draw everyone home, they’ve spent decades proving that the best memories are often made around the table.

Now Aldi wants to recognise those everyday family heroes.

Families across Scotland are invited to nominate a grandparent or grandparent figure whose cooking, generosity and love of bringing people together have made a lasting impact on their family. Whether it’s the gran whose soup is famous across three generations or the grandad still teaching grandchildren how to bake, Aldi wants to hear the stories behind Scotland’s favourite family cooks.

As a thank you, Aldi will fund a month’s grocery shop for up to three Scottish grandparent figures.

To nominate, families should email scottishcompetition@aldi.co.uk with a short explanation (200 words) of why their grandparent deserves to be recognised.

Tom Brearey, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Some of life’s best moments happen around the dinner table.

“As more people choose to cook and eat at home, this is a great opportunity to spend quality time with family, share stories and reconnect with the people around us.

“Grandparents have understood that for generations. They’ve always known that a home-cooked meal is about much more than what’s on the plate – it’s about bringing people together.

“This is our way of celebrating the people who’ve quietly kept those traditions alive for years, and thanking them for everything they do for their families.”

Scottish Stations Reveal Mixed Picture in Women’s Railway Safety Survey

Train stations across Scotland have been highlighted in a major new survey by leading women’s charity Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), which examined safety standards at stations across the UK.

The survey highlighted concerns at a number of Scottish stations, including Canal Street in Aberdeen, where surveyors raised issues around passenger safety and accessibility, and Markinch, where concerns were noted about access and passenger support. The report also highlighted wider concerns around staffing, access to assistance and passenger reassurance at quieter and more rural stations such as Paisley St James.

While stations such as Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy demonstrated many of the safety features campaigners are calling for, including visible safety support and stronger passenger facilities, surveyors warned that limited staffing and inconsistent access to assistance can leave women feeling vulnerable, particularly during evening journeys.

SIGBI says these local findings mirror a national pattern of declining staff presence and inconsistent safety measures across the rail network. Across the UK, only 10% of stations are staffed at all times, 30% are permanently unstaffed and fewer than half (44%) display clear information about who is responsible for passenger safety.

Gillie O’Rourke, President of SIGBI, said: “These key measures, which can help women feel more secure, remain inconsistent, patchy and mixed at best. This leaves women increasingly vulnerable when travelling by train.”

SIGBI has been campaigning for safer railways for women and girls for over 30 years. First launched in 1996, ‘The Future of the Railways’ was an investigation into personal safety on the railways, which the charity’s members – known as Soroptimists – used to lobby the Government into taking action to do more to protect women on public transport.

It was launched in response to a Soroptimist being attacked on a train in the London area.

Soroptimists carried out grassroots research into the experiences of female passengers, visiting more than 500 overground stations across Britain. Their work also included consultation with station managers and rail staff to build a comprehensive picture of safety and accessibility on the rail network.

SIGBI published a report making recommendations to the UK Government on how to improve safety in stations, claiming the Government’s approach to passenger safety in railway stations was ineffective. 

In 2024, the project was relaunched during the charity’s conference in Edinburgh, to ask the same questions of the UK’s railway stations, to see how much has changed. The results of the new survey are the outcome of 388 surveys undertaken by Soroptimists covering 373 stations and 985 platforms. 

The survey’s aims were to assess the visibility of railway staff, emergency help points, and station signage, and to evaluate the clarity and quality of safety information.

The new findings expose a persistent gender safety gap across the rail network, raising urgent questions about accountability, visibility, and the protection of female passengers after dark.

“It is shocking that in almost 30 years so little has changed, the same issues persist, the same voices are going unheard, and progress feels more like a circle than a line,” Gillie added.

In response to the investigation’s findings, SIGBI is calling for the introduction of minimum safety standards for all stations, particularly during the evening. The charity believes urgent action is needed to address the gaps in basic safety provision across the rail network.

This includes reliable emergency help points, monitored CCTV, adequate lighting and clear emergency contact information. 

SIGBI is also pressing for greater accountability, with clear signage showing who is responsible for safety, alongside improved accessibility measures and facilities to ensure all passengers – especially women and girls – can travel with confidence.

Lindsay Green, Programme Director at SIGBI, said: “Our goal is to stand up for women and girls, advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and representation The relaunch of our railway safety project has been key in advancing this important issue and bringing it to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas.

“The timing of the survey’s relaunch happened to coincide with the British Transport Police’s last report which stated that violence against women and girls on British railways had risen by more than 50% since 2021. Clearly, more needs to be done, and urgently. 

“We’re proud to be playing our part in helping to shape a safer environment for women when travelling.”

In addition to its work with this report, SIGBI is carrying out ‘Bystander Awareness’ training in communities up and down the UK, in a bid to help further identify and prevent violence against women and girls.

Read SIGBI’s Railway Station Safety Survey Report here: 

https://sigbi.org/railwaysurvey/

Ronaq Restaurant closes

LAST ORDERS AT POPULAR COMELY BANK INDIAN RESTAURANT

After so many wonderful years serving you at Ronaq Restaurant Comely Bank, we are writing with heartfelt gratitude, and a touch of nostalgia, to let you know we’ll be closing our doors.

Your support has meant the world to us. Though we’ll miss hosting you, we’re excited for the future.

A new restaurant will soon open in this location, and we encourage you to welcome them warmly.

You can find them at: www.yaduvanshiindianrestaurant.co.uk

Thank you for every shared meal and every memory.

With gratitude,

The Ronaq Restaurant Team

Cragievar Square death: Man charged

A man has been charged in connection with the death of 44-year-old Vikki Soloman in Edinburgh.

Around 8.45pm on Monday, 20 July, emergency services were called to a property in Craigievar Square in the city and Vikki was found with serious injuries and pronounced dead at the scene.

The 46-year-old man was arrested a short time later and has now been charged.

He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow – Thursday, 23 July, 2026.

Unfair dismissal changes among biggest Employment Rights Act 2025 challenges for bosses

New research by workplace expert Acas shows that changes to sick pay, paternity leave and unfair dismissal will pose the greatest challenges for businesses under new rules.

The YouGov survey, commissioned by Acas, asked employers which changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will be the hardest to adopt for their organisation.

Nearly 1 in 3 employers (30%) said that paying statutory sick pay from the first day of illness would be the hardest. More than one quarter (27%) said it would be the right to take paternity leave from the first day of employment.

New unfair dismissal protections, reducing the qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months, were also ranked among the top concerns (23%).

The valuable insights gained from the results will help Acas target its support for employers where they need it the most. Acas has already updated its advice on probation periods to reflect the new law changes on unfair dismissals.

Baroness Maggie Jones, Acas Chair, said: “The reforms in the Employment Rights Act are the biggest shake-up to employment law in a generation, and it is vital that employers get up to speed quickly.

“The new day one rights on sick pay and paternity are already in effect and new protections against unfair dismissals are set to come in next year.

“Acas has updated its advice on probations to reflect the new changes on unfair dismissals, which is a significant change in the law. Businesses that get on top of all the changes early can prevent costly disputes from happening.”

From 1 January 2027, protection from unfair dismissal will become a right after 6 months of being in a job. Currently, someone must have worked for their employer for 2 years before claiming unfair dismissal.

The limit on the amount of compensation for unfair dismissal will also be removed.

A probation period is a time at the start of employment to check if someone is suitable for a job.

There is no legal right to have a probation period, but some employers may be thinking about reducing the period to less than 6 months before the law changes on 1 January 2027. However, this does not avoid legal risks.

Employees still have protections during their probation such as:

  • discrimination
  • whistleblowing
  • breach of contract

Probation periods should also be tailored to the job. Probations of 6 months or less might not be appropriate for all roles. For example, technical or specialist roles might need longer for training and assessments.

Dismissing an employee during probation should be a last resort. Employers should consider other steps such as:

  • extending a probation period
  • using performance management to help someone improve

Find out more about: 

Richard Shillcock, the Communist Party of Britain candidate for the Southside/Newington ward, has officially declared that tackling the city’s housing crisis through municipal house building will be a core priority of the Communist Party campaign for the upcoming City of Edinburgh Council by-elections on 3 September 2026.

Richard Shillcock emphasised that the current market-driven approach has failed local residents, arguing that a massive return to publicly owned housing is the only viable solution.

“Edinburgh has a housing crisis and there is only one answer to it—build council houses,” he said. “We need the Council to build, own, maintain, and administer council housing and not leave such an important issue to the free market.”

The Communist Party campaign outline focuses heavily on local job creation and public investment, linking a housing strategy directly to local economic development and skills training.

Shillcock added: “We need to employ council staff and invest in a new generation of apprentices to learn the skills required to build and maintain the highest quality council housing.

“Large-scale council house building was the best answer to the postwar housing crisis. It worked. Since then, turning homes into commodities in a market has failed us.”

Addressing potential concerns regarding budgets, Shillcock pointed to historical precedents and called for a major shift in public spending priorities away from military conflict and toward domestic infrastructure.

“If the money could be found in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, it can be found now. “The Communist Party would spend on homes for people, not endless warfare,” Shillcock concluded.

The Southside/Newington and Craigmillar/Portobello by-elections will take place on Thursday, 3 September 2026.

Shillcock is standing alongside fellow Communist candidate Peter Olech, who is standing in the Portobello/Craigmillar ward, on a platform of peace, public ownership, tax justice and workers’ rights.

Museum coming to Macmillan Hub for breakfast visit

Our Summer Breakfast Club is having a special visit from National Museums Scotland! They’ll be popping by on Wednesday morning 22 July with a box of museum highlight objects for you to explore, touch, and get curious about!

BREAKFAST CLUB runs every morning, 10am–12pm, Monday–Saturday, until 8 August.

Pop by Macmillan Hub for free breakfast, hang out with your friends, and play games. We’ve got cereal, fruit, pastries, breakfast bars and refreshments waiting for you!

For local children and families living in Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Telford areas

Explore other free family friendly activities this summer: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/summer-2026/

This year’s summer programme is delivered in partnership with Muirhouse Library.

College Launches Global Health Scholarships to Train Specialist Doctors in Low-Income Countries

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE or “the College”) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Global Health Scholarships, a major initiative aimed at increasing the number of specialist physicians in low- and lower-middle income countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

Working in partnership initially with the Kenya Associations of Physicians and the Malawi College of Physicians, the scholarships will support postgraduate training in internal medicine through the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP). Beginning in the 2026/27 academic year, the programme will initially fund four trainee doctors, covering tuition and examination fees for the full four-year training programme.

This initiative responds to a critical shortage of doctors in the region which limits access to care, constrains training capacity for future healthcare professionals, and slows progress toward universal health coverage.

The ECSACOP programme, established in 2015 with support from international partners, provides high-quality, locally delivered specialist training aligned with international standards. By enabling doctors to train within their home countries, the programme strengthens national health systems and improves retention of skilled professionals.

The RCPE Global Health Scholarships aim to reduce financial barriers that prevent many qualified doctors from pursuing specialist training. Selection will be competitive, recognising clinical excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to serving local health needs, particularly in underserved and rural communities.

While modest in scale, the initiative is expected to have a lasting impact by strengthening clinical leadership, enhancing training capacity, and improving access to specialist care across the region.

This programme aligns closely with RCPE’s strategic commitment to promote high standards in medical education globally and to develop meaningful partnerships with low- and middle-income countries.

Commenting Dr Conor Maguire, Vice-President (International) of the College, said: “We are delighted to be co-operating with colleagues in Kenya and Malawi to offer these Global Health scholarships.

“ This initiative reflects our commitment to global health equity and to working alongside partners in low- and middle-income countries to advance medical education, improve health outcomes and support the development of a sustainable specialist workforce.”

Professor Mark Strachan, President of the College said: “We very much hope that this initiative will help strengthen local health systems in Kenya and Malawi and allow doctors to train and remain in their home countries.

“This is a pilot that,  if successful, we hope to extend in future years.”

Associate Professor Ndaziona Peter Kwanjo Banda, President of Malawi College of Physicians said: “We are so excited and grateful for this financial support to our trainees from The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

“We are very happy to be among the first beneficiaries of these global health scholarships. This support will help in increasing the number of much needed qualified specialist physicians in a country and regional overburdened by both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

“Additionally, the qualified Specialist Physicians will become clinical educators and research mentors for future trainees under ECSACOP fellowship training program’’.

Edinburgh International Film Festival: Midnight Madness at The Cameo

Are you ready for Midnight Madness?

A jewel in our genre crown, EIFF’s Midnight Madness strand is now a perennial favourite with late night Edinburgh audiences. A food-obsessed hippo, doomed influencers and more populate this bumper crop of the best new genre delights.

Each electrifying film will have its Premiere at Cameo Cinema when the clock hits midnight:

🌙 Bad Day at the Office dir. Chee Keong Cheung

Waking up in a strange hotel room with a dead body and no memory of the night before, Karl (John Hannah) is about to have a very bad day indeed in this ultra-violent cinematic rollercoaster packed with pure unapologetic carnage.

🌙 Abandoned dir. Joby Stevens

Presented with The Evolution of Horror, Abandoned follows two urban explorers in pursuit of viral success. Attempting to recover a lost drone, they become trapped within an abandoned facility, and the nightmare of the building’s past unravels and threatens to consume them. Screening with Skinned dir. Alexandra Ruggieri.

🌙 Imposters dir. Caleb Phillips

When a child goes missing, a struggling marriage faces its toughest challenge yet in this mind-bending thriller starring Jessica Rothe and Charlie Barnett, This slippery tale of parallel worlds and a lost child is a multiverse of madness. Screening with IDYLL dir. Austin Cauldwell.

🌙 Hungry dir. James Nunn

When a group of tourists venture off the beaten track in the Louisiana Bayou, they find themselves trapped by a very large, very food-centred hippo in this taut, tense survival thriller. Screening with No One Believes In Me dir. Anabelle LeMieux.

🌙 Rise of the Footsoldier: Retribution dir. Nick Nevern

Intent on avenging the murder of his best friend and partner in crime, Pat Tate finds himself on a roaring rampage of revenge in Ibiza in the explosive seventh instalment of the cult series. Screening with Meeting Your Maker dir. Gregory JM Kasunich.

🌙 Faces of Death dir. Daniel Goldhaber

In this wildly entertaining reboot starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery and Charlie xcx, a website content moderator becomes obsessed with a series of disturbing videos that seem to recreate scenes from the iconic Faces of Death film series.

Tickets are on sale now at edfilmfest.org🎟️