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Aldi deputy store manager celebrates 30 years of service

Aldi Livingston deputy store manager, Vikki Devlin, is marking an incredible milestone as she celebrates 30 years with the retailer.

Vikki, 53, from Livingston, first joined Aldi in 1995 at the original Bathgate store, before transferring to the Livingston store on Almondvale Road in 1998.

Since then, she has become a familiar face to generations of customers, working her way up from Store Assistant to Deputy Store Manager and helping to shape the store’s welcoming, community atmosphere.

Vikki joked: “I’ve spent my whole adult life at Aldi, my whole married life, my son’s whole life, I don’t really remember life before it!”

Reflecting on her early days, Vikki said: “When I started, there were only two Aldi stores in Scotland, and I’d barely heard of it until my auntie told me about the one in Wishaw.

“The recruitment process was tough – we had to memorise a full price list and sit a test at the end of the week. If you remembered correctly, you were offered a job. Thankfully, I passed!”

Over the years, Vikki has seen the Livingston store transform with two major extensions, new technology and countless memories made along the way.

“The changes have been incredible,” she said. “When I started, we were cash only and had to introduce a separate card area when they became the more common way to pay. Now we’ve got digital price cards, scanners and card tills, it’s a totally different world.”

Vikki’s three decades with Aldi have been marked by enduring friendships and a real sense of family.

“I’ve made some lifelong friends who started as colleagues,” she said. “I’ve worked with Debbie for 23 years and Kevin has been my manager for 22 years.

“We’ve watched all our kids grow up together – it’s more like a family than colleagues. Our store is unusual in that so many people here have celebrated years of long service, and that’s definitely down to Kevin.

“He’s completely transformed the shop and the atmosphere.”

Vikki’s warmth and care extend beyond her team to the customers she serves. “There’s one couple, Nan and Davie, who I’ve served my whole career, and now I serve their three daughters too. I always say they’re my adopted parents! I even get them Christmas presents,” she said.

“Some customers will queue just to come to my till, and I get birthday cards and pictures from their kids. It’s those moments that make the job so rewarding and special.”

Having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago, Vikki says the support from her colleagues has been “tremendous”. “They help me with day-to-day things like setting up the till and are always looking out for me. It’s that kind of support that makes Aldi such a special place to work.”

Over the years, Vikki has also played a big part in supporting and training younger team members. “I’ve helped to train lots of young apprentices who had 101 questions,” she laughed. “Now some of them are managing their own stores across the country.”

Kevin Regan, Store Manager, Aldi Livingston said: “Vikki is the heart of this store. Her warmth, humour and kindness shine through every day, whether she’s supporting a colleague or chatting with customers at the till.

“She’s been a fantastic role model to everyone who’s worked alongside her and has made a real difference to our store and our community. We’re so proud of her and delighted to celebrate this incredible 30-year milestone.”

Billions squandered on asylum accommodation by Home Office mismanagement

SCATHING HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT PUBLISHED

Flawed contract design and incompetent delivery left the Home Office unable to cope with the surge in demand for asylum accommodation, a report by the Home Affairs Committee has found.

Hotels went from a temporary stop-gap to the go-to solution for asylum accommodation, leading to a failed system that is expensive, unpopular with local communities and unsuitable for asylum seekers.

As the cost of asylum accommodation contracts more than tripled, inadequate oversight meant failings went unnoticed and unaddressed. The Home Office failed to keep costs down and underutilised mechanisms to penalise providers for poor performance and reclaim excess profits.

No performance penalties are applied for poor performance at Napier, Wethersfield or asylum hotels, despite hotels accounting for over 75% of spending on asylum accommodation.

Break clauses in 2026 and the end of the contracts in 2029 offer the Home Office an opportunity to end the failed system. However, without a clear long-term plan and the institutional capability to deliver a model that is more effective and offers value for money, past failures risk being repeated, the Committee warns.

The Home Office’s approach has been a series of hasty, short-term responses. It must now learn from past failures and deliver a clear long-term strategy for asylum accommodation that provides value for money, adequate standards of accommodation and takes account of the impact on local communities.

Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Dame Karen Bradley said: “The Home Office has presided over a failing asylum accommodation system that has cost taxpayers billions of pounds.

“Its response to increasing demand has been rushed and chaotic, and the department has neglected the day-to-day management of these contracts. The Government needs to get a grip on the asylum accommodation system in order to bring costs down and hold providers to account for poor performance.

“Urgent action is needed to lower the cost of asylum accommodation and address the concerns of local communities. While reducing hotel use is rightly a Government priority, there will always be a need for flexibility within the system, and the Home Office risks boxing itself in by making undeliverable promises to appeal to popular sentiment. It shouldn’t set itself up for more failure.

“The Home Office has not proved able to develop a long term strategy for the delivery of asylum accommodation. It has instead focused on short term, reactive responses.

“There is now an opportunity to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system, but the Home Office must finally learn from its previous mistakes or it is doomed to repeat them.”

Scotland urged to put housing justice at heart of next election

People with lived experience of homelessness are uniting with dozens of leading organisations to demand urgent action on Scotland’s worsening housing crisis.

Their joint manifesto will be launched today at Scotland’s Annual Homelessness Conference, hosted by Homeless Network Scotland, on 27 and 28 October in Perth.

It calls on all political parties to commit to a programme of housing justice that will ensure everyone in Scotland has a safe, secure place to call home.

The scale of the crisis has been laid bare in recent statistics, with more than 17,200 households currently trapped in temporary accommodation, a 6% increase in one year, including over 10,000 children.

Nearly 250,000 people are on waiting lists for a social home, and 40,688 households have applied to their local council for help with homelessness last year. On average, those in temporary accommodation wait 238 days for a settled home.

The call comes from members of Everyone Home, a collective of nearly 40 third and academic sector organisations focused on ending homelessness, and All In for Change, a platform that unites lived experience and practitioner insight of homelessness across Scotland to enable decision-makers to drive real change.

All in for Change said: “In the Change Team, we see every day how the housing emergency hurts people who are homeless and those trying to help them. Frontline workers do amazing work, but they’re trapped in a broken system with too little housing and support to fix it.

“Some of us have been homeless ourselves, so we know the reality first-hand. But we believe this can be made better for others, with real political commitment and funding being used more wisely.

“We’ve laid out clear expectations for party manifestos, and we’ll keep pushing to shield people from the worst of homelessness in this housing emergency.”

Set almost 18 months after Scotland’s housing emergency was formally declared, the manifesto outlines a practical, values-led approach to resolving a crisis that continues to deepen inequality and exclusion.

It sets out five priority actions for the next Scottish Government, under the banner of SCALE. It calls for the launch of a national ‘Big Build’ programme to dramatically increase the supply of social housing, with a target of nearly 16,000 new homes each year of the next parliament backed by at least £8.8bn.

The manifesto urges political leaders to coordinate support services more effectively, so that housing is fully integrated with health, social care and justice to ensure no-one falls through the cracks.

It demands that public funding decisions align with housing priorities, including the use of tax powers and long-term investment plans that can give frontline workers and those they support greater certainty.

It insists that housing rights must be protected and fully resourced, warning that too many local authorities are currently struggling to meet their legal obligations.

Finally, it calls for fast-track housing and support for groups facing systemic exclusion, including people affected by poverty, discrimination, trauma, gender-based violence and UK immigration policy.

Maggie Brünjes, chief executive, Homeless Network Scotland, said: “Scotland’s housing emergency is a plan gone wrong, driving homelessness and deepening inequality. To reverse this, we must invest in more social housing, higher incomes, proactive prevention and support that is fully integrated across health, housing, justice and social care.

“The Everyone Home collective manifesto is a plan to put that right and a call for Housing Justice. Combining first-hand, professional and academic insight, the manifesto outlines real-world measures to reduce inefficient spending, prevent the worst harm among the worst off, and scale solutions for a Scotland where everyone has a home.”

The manifesto launch will take place at Scotland’s Annual Homelessness Conference, this year titled ‘It’s Personal: the human face of the housing emergency’.

The two-day event will shine a light on the real-world, human impact of the crisis, through people with lived experience, advocates and experts sharing knowledge and practical ideas to deliver lasting change.

Helen Murdoch, Asst. Director of Strategic Operations & Development (Scotland) at conference delivery partner The Salvation Army, said: “This year’s conference takes place in the shadow of a housing and homelessness crisis that tests our compassion, our resources and our collective resolve.

“The demand for services that support people experiencing homelessness is far outstripping supply – that must change and change quickly. Conference is an opportunity to explore our role in bringing about that change and The Salvation Army is proud to be an event partner.

“It is also a time to look beyond the headlines and statistics, to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary courage and resilience of teams working in communities, the third sector, local authorities and religious bodies to support people experiencing homelessness.”

Keynote speakers include Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Màiri McAllan MSP, who will address the event, renowned children’s rights campaigner and author Baroness Floella Benjamin, and rising social justice advocate Eireann McAuley, named one of the Young Women’s Movement’s ‘30 under 30′.

Baroness Floella Benjamin OM DBE said: “Having a safe and secure home is the key building block for living a happy and fulfilling life, yet today that basic human need is being denied to too many people. The impact on them is heartbreaking.

“All it takes is the grit, perseverance and determination to face the challenges and to keep on pushing for positive change. There is no shortage of people willing to fight this fight and I support all those who are working to change people’s lives.

“When I address Scotland’s annual homelessness conference I hope to energise and inspire the audience, to bring them joy amid the struggle. I want to remind people that even though it sometimes doesn’t feel like it, the work they do every day can and does change lives. So never give up.”

The launch marks the start of a national conversation aimed at ensuring housing and homelessness are top-tier priorities ahead of the 2026 election.

Pedestrian critical following Ferrari collision

Policing officers are appealing for information following a serious road crash in Stennhouse.

The incident happened around 8.50pm last night (Saturday, 25 October, 2025) on Stenhouse Drive, just west of its junction with Stenhouse Grove, and involved a red Ferrari 488 Spider and a pedestrian.

Emergency services attended and the pedestrian, a 26-year-old man, was taken to hospital for treatment where he remains in a critical condition.

The road was closed to allow enquiries to be carried out and reopened around 12.20am on Sunday, 26 October, 2025.

Officers are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the crash to assist.

Following enquiries, it is believed a white saloon type car was driving ahead of the Ferrari prior to the collision and may have witnessed what happened.

Sergeant Grant Hastie said: “We are appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of this incident to please contact us with any information that may assist.

“In addition, anyone with CCTV or dash-cam footage is asked to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting reference 3121 of 25 October, 2025.

Poverty Alliance: This is just the start

SCOTLAND DEMANDS BETTER

Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. That is why thousands of people took to the streets of Edinburgh yesterday to say with one voice that we demand better – better than poverty, better than inequality and better than divisive, hateful narratives that seek to pit our communities against one another.

Trade unions, faith groups, community organisations and charities stood shoulder to shoulder with people from across Scotland to demand fair work, strong public services and dignified social security.

It was a showcase to our political decision makers at all levels that we are tired of waiting for change on the injustice of poverty, and we are standing together to demand action.

This isn’t the end. It is the start of a movement, together in hope and solidarity, for a better Scotland for all of us.

THE POVERTY ALLIANCE

Aldi celebrates 30 years serving the Musselburgh community

Popular discount supermarket, Aldi, is celebrating 30 years of trading in Musselburgh, marking three decades since the store first opened its doors to local shoppers on 26 October 1995.

Since welcoming its first customers, Aldi’s Musselburgh storehas become a staple in the community, providing high-quality products at unbeatable prices while supporting jobs and investment in the local area.

Over the years, Aldi has grown from its first Scottish store in Kilmarnock in 1994 to a household name, with more than 100 stores across the country today. The business is a major employer in Scotland with over 3,600 staff located between its stores and headquarters in Bathgate.

Aldi is consistently recognised by shoppers and the industry for its championing of locally produced Scottish food and drink. It is the only retailer to have a dedicated Scottish Buying Department, and it currently works with more than 90 Scottish suppliers and stocks 450 Scottish products.

In 2016, Aldi’s Musselburgh store underwent a major extension to meet growing demand, increasing its shop floor space from 760 sqm to 960 sqm, allowing it to offer an even wider range of Aldi favourites to local shoppers.

As well as serving customers for three decades, Aldi’s Musselburgh store has been at the heart of the local community. In 2023, the store was one of the branches selected for Aldi’s popular Supermarket Sweep initiative, which saw a Musselburgh local raise over £650 for The Pennypit Trust Foodbank. That same year, the Musselburgh Windsor 2011 Girls Team was awarded the top amount of £2,500 from Aldi’s Scottish Sports Fund.

Peter Greasley, Store Manager, said: “It’s been a pleasure to serve the people of Musselburgh for the past 30 years.

“Over the past three decades, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming generations of customers through our doors, and their loyalty and support have made this milestone possible. We are very much looking forward to continuing to serve the community for many more years to come.”

Sandy Mitchell, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “It’s really special to look back at how far we’ve come as a business since we first opened our doors in Scotland.

“We are incredibly grateful to our loyal customers and devoted team members in Musselburghwho have been with us every step of the way.”

SCVO partners with AccountsIQ to modernise finance operations

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the national membership body representing over 3,800 voluntary sector organisations in Scotland, has partnered with cloud accounting software leader AccountsIQ, to modernise its finance operations and drive efficiency.

SCVO needed to replace its legacy, server-based finance system, which was costly to maintain and relied heavily on manual processes across sales, purchase ledgers, banking, and reporting. With Salesforce already embedded as SCVO’s CRM system, it was critical to implement a financial management platform with proven integration, flexibility, and ease of use.

AccountsIQ was selected for its cloud-native architecture, intuitive interface, and seamless Salesforce integration as well as smart automation features and data-driven reporting capabilities. The onboarding process included bespoke support to configure general ledger and reporting structures tailored to SCVO’s needs.

Since implementation, the platform has automated repetitive workflows, eliminating time-consuming manual data entry and freeing the finance team to focus on higher-value tasks. Bank reconciliations have been streamlined through automated feeds, significantly reducing errors. Integration with Excel also enables fast, accurate, real-time reporting, giving the finance team instant visibility across the organisation.

Martin McComb, Head of Finance at SCVO, said: “AccountsIQ stood out because of its intuitive platform and proven history of Salesforce integration.

“The onboarding process was smooth and efficient, and we now have far greater automation across our finance function. It has saved us significant time, reduced errors, and allowed our team to focus on strategic, value-added work.

“I would absolutely recommend AccountsIQ to any organisation looking for a scalable, cloud-based solution.”

The system is agile and continues to evolve alongside SCVO’s operational requirements, ensuring that the finance function remains efficient and future-ready. The result is a single, integrated finance ecosystem where reports can be generated in seconds, routine processes are automated and the finance team can concentrate on analysis and strategic priorities rather than administrative tasks.

Darren Cran, CEO at AccountsIQ, added: “We’re proud to be supporting SCVO in its mission to champion Scotland’s voluntary sector.

“By integrating seamlessly with Salesforce and automating critical finance processes, AccountsIQ is enabling SCVO’s finance team to save time, improve accuracy and focus on what really matters – supporting members and driving social impact.”

Scotland’s oral health gap set to widen

New data shows decades of progress on children’s dental health risk going into reverse, with gains at best plateauing.

The latest report of the National Dental Inspection Programme, published this week, shows stark and persistent inequalities are widening between Scotland’s most deprived and most affluent communities.

Just 68.2% of P7 children in the tenth most deprived areas were found to be decay free – compared to 91.5% in the tenth least deprived – a gap of 23.3%, up from 20.1% in 2019.

The report acknowledges that since 2005 obvious decay experience has declined, but this downward trend appears to have flattened out since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reform to the system NHS dentists work to was rolled in November 2023. While the BDA secured some improvements there remain question marks as to whether the level of change is sufficient to keep practices sustainable and narrow inequalities of both access and outcomes. The BDA is advocating a fully funded workforce plan to ensure Scotland has the dental professionals it needs.

Gillian Lennox, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “Vital progress tackling deep oral health inequalities has at best plateaued, and at worst gone into reverse.

“As we head into an election year It’s a stark reminder that there can be no complacency when it comes to dentistry.

“Our children will pay the price for any indifference here.”

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Ukraine: United in Support

Chairs’ statement following yesterday’s ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Leaders’ meeting

The Prime Minister and President Macron yesterday co-chaired a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, attended by President Zelenskyy.

Leaders were united in their support for Ukraine, in particular during the challenging winter period, and desire for a just and lasting peace and an end to the bloodshed. They welcomed President Zelenskyy’s support for a full, unconditional ceasefire. They noted that President Putin, by contrast, had rejected a ceasefire, and that Russia had escalated its attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure and recklessly violated NATO airspace.

They fully supported President Trump’s comments that the current line of contact must be the starting point for any talks. They reiterated their full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principle that borders must not be changed by force.

Leaders underlined the importance of increasing economic pressure on Russia now and until a just and lasting peace for Ukraine has been secured. They resolved to take further steps to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, end remaining imports into their territories, and deter third countries from trading in Russian oil and gas and fuelling Russia’s war effort. They welcomed the United States’ recent action to that end.

In addition, Leaders agreed to pursue additional measures to tackle the threat posed by shadow fleet vessels to the maritime environment and national security.

These would include further sanctions, steps to discourage third countries from engaging with the shadow fleet, increased information sharing as well as readiness to make use of regulatory and interdiction powers. They agreed to take forward closer coordination to increase collective impact.

They also expressed their intent to address Ukraine’s pressing financial needs for 2026-2027 including working up options to use the full value of immobilised Russian sovereign assets, so that Ukraine has the resources it needs to defend its territory and rebuild its armed forces.

They were clear that this should be in addition to existing flows of bilateral military aid, which would not diminish.

They strongly condemned Russia’s ongoing campaign to destroy Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure, an effort clearly intended to create a humanitarian disaster and break the resilience of the Ukrainian people.

They agreed to ensure Ukraine’s energy resilience and to provide urgent assistance to protect and rebuild energy infrastructure, and to continue to provide additional military support, including air defence.

Finally, they reiterated their determination to put in place robust arrangements for Ukraine’s future security, so that it can deter and defend against future attack.

They confirmed that plans are in place to deploy a Multinational Force Ukraine once hostilities have ceased, with a view to help secure Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces.

Loganair marks four-year partnership with CHAS with aircraft naming

Loganair has marked the fourth anniversary of its partnership with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) by naming one of its aircraft in honour of the charity.

The aircraft will carry the charity’s name across the airline’s network, helping raise awareness of its work among passengers and communities across the UK.

“Spirit of CHAS” was formally adopted as the name of the new ATR72-500 plane.

The partnership has developed into a long-term collaboration between the airline and the charity, combining financial support with practical assistance. As part of this, Loganair provides flights for CHAS at Home nurses, enabling them to reach families in island and remote communities where specialist care is often more difficult to access.

Loganair also operate the famous CHAS flight, which this year took place at Glasgow Airport. Seven children and their families went on a sightseeing route along Scotland’s west coast, offering a safe space for families to enjoy air travel and see the incredible sights.

The day included character visits from Snow White, Rapunzel, Spiderman and Batman, who helped make the experience especially memorable for those taking part.

The CHAS flight has become a regular fixture in Loganair’s calendar, having previously taken place from Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.

Since forming the partnership in 2021, Loganair has raised over £85,000 for CHAS through staff fundraising activities and customer donations on the airline’s website.

Luke Farajallah, chief executive officer at Loganair, said: “CHAS provides an invaluable service to families across Scotland, and we are pleased to continue supporting the charity through both fundraising and practical assistance.

“The naming of one of our aircraft reflects the importance of our partnership and our commitment to helping CHAS continue its work. Our hope is that ‘Spirit of CHAS’ will inspire others to support and promote the amazing work of the charity.

“Our customers’ generosity through the £2 donation scheme has been remarkable, and we’re very proud that their contributions are helping CHAS reach more families who rely on its care and support.”

Rami Okasha, chief executive officer at CHAS, said: “Witnessing the ‘Spirit of CHAS’ plane launch was a delight. We are proud to celebrate four years of our partnership with Loganair and would like to thank them for all their support.

“This important partnership means, we can bring smiles, comfort, and precious memories to children who may die young and their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys.

“Loganair’s special support to CHAS families includes free flights for staff to reach families on Scottish islands who use our CHAS at Home service. CHAS is there for children and families in every part of Scotland, no matter where they live.

“Through customer donations at checkout, Loganair has raised over £40k, helping us to fund essential services, including CHAS at Home, providing a vital lifeline for families, especially those in remote or rural communities.

“Our CHAS at Home team supports children and families in their own homes, providing a range of care and support, including symptom management and emotional support, as well as moments of connection and play.

“The incredible amount raised will help us fund a CHAS At Home Nurse for a year.”