Starting pay for Store Assistants in Edinburgh will increase to £13.35 per hour, with higher rates of £14.30 available based on length of service
Updated pay rates for Store Assistants take effect from Sunday 1st March 2026
Aldi is also enhancing maternity pay, extending full pay to 26 weeks
Aldi store colleagues across Edinburgh are set to receive market-leading rates of pay as part of a £36 million investment in pay and benefits by the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket.
From Sunday 1st March 2026, starting pay for Store Assistants in Edinburgh will rise to £13.35 per hour, rising to £14.30 per hour based on length of service.
Aldi is also increasing pay rates for Store Apprentices in Edinburgh to £12.02 per hour. These rates are significantly higher than the minimum wage for a first-year apprentice.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do.Their hard work and dedication is what allows us to offer customers the quality, value and service they expect from Aldi.
“That’s why we’re making such a significant investment in our promise to never be beaten on pay for our colleagues.”
All Aldi colleagues will see their pay rise over the coming months, as well as receiving enhanced family-friendly benefits, with maternity pay extended to 26 weeks at full pay.
Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks to all its store colleagues – a benefit worth up to £1,470 a year to store colleagues.
The Traditional Arts and Culture Fund, previously known as Tasgadh, will open for applications at 10am today (19 January 2026).
The fund, administered by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), offers small grants of up to £1,200 to artists, community groups, and grassroots organisations working across Scotland’s traditional music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, indigenous languages, and wider intangible heritage.
TRACS won the Creative Scotland tender to administer the fund in October last year, with traditional crafts included for the first time as a new addition to the fund.
In 2026, the total fund available is £43k and applications for the first round close on Monday 16 February, with a second round of funding due to open on 6 April and close on 4 May. Awards of up to £1,200 are available (an increase of 20% on previous years), enabling around 18 applicants in each round to be funded the maximum amount.
Applications can be submitted in Gaelic, Scots, and English language. All applicants are required to demonstrate a positive track record in and/or professional commitment to one or more traditional artforms, and awards are decided by a panel of traditional arts and craft specialists.
TRACS won the Creative Scotland tender to administer the fund in October last year, with traditional crafts included for the first time as a new addition to the fund.
In 2026, the total fund available is £43k and applications for the first round close on Monday 16 February, with a second round of funding due to open on 6 April and close on 4 May. Awards of up to £1,200 are available (an increase of 20% on previous years), enabling around 18 applicants in each round to be funded the maximum amount.
Applications can be submitted in Gaelic, Scots, and English language. All applicants are required to demonstrate a positive track record in and/or professional commitment to one or more traditional artforms, and awards are decided by a panel of traditional arts and craft specialists.
Funding is available for the creation, performance, touring, and showcasing of traditional arts and crafts in Scotland, and for professional development and learning projects.
Previous successful projects include music classes and workshops, dance development and collaborations, composition of new music, tours, personal development projects, internships, and festivals.
Previous applicants who received awards of between £250 and £1,000 include Sangstream Scots Folk Choir celebrating the heritage of Midlothian miners in song; puirt à beul workshops for Dundee Gaelic Choir; Cabraich Community Arts’ weekly song and story cèilidhs in Stornoway; storytelling development at Glenesk Folk Museum with the Grampian Association of Storytellers; and the creation of new work in Scottish stepdance by Deiseil Airson Dannsa.
Steve Byrne CEO of TRACS said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the new administrators of this important fund.
“Being able to provide support to artists and organisations at all stages of their development is essential to ensuring that Scotland has a buoyant traditional arts community, and experience shows that a nimble small grants programme like this can make a huge difference to grassroots activity.
“We look forward to announcing the successful applicants in due course.”
Catriona Hawksworth, Traditional Arts Officer at Creative Scotland said: “The newly redeveloped Traditional Arts and Culture Fund will directly benefit the tradition-bearers and communities upholding Scotland’s many traditions, and we’re delighted that the fund will support traditionalcrafts for the first time, alongside traditional music, storytelling and dance.
“With increased funding, more traditional artists and practitioners will be able to boost their offerings within their local communities thanks to National Lottery funding. TRACS are expertly placed as a custodian of this crucial funding as champions of Scottish traditions with their invaluable knowledge and networks.”
Helen Voce, panellist representing Traditional Craft said: “The Fund’s recognition of traditional crafts for the first time is welcomed and timely.
“A supporter of craftspeople in Scotland, including as a volunteer Regional Coordinator of Scottish members of Heritage Crafts,I know the Fund will make a difference to the practice of experienced and emerging practitioners alike.
“It arrives following a year that saw a number of traditional crafts practised in Scotland listed as endangered (e.g. Shinty Caman Making) and critically endangered (e.g. Highlands & Islands Thatching) on theRed List of Heritage Crafts 2025.
“And, as communities are poised to submit traditional craft practices to the Crafts Inventory of Living Heritage following the UK’s ratification of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
The Traditional Arts and Culture Fund is administered by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), with support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
More information on the fund and a video guide to completing the application form is available at www.tracscotland.org/traditional-arts-and-culture-fund/
FeatherSnap helps nature lovers get ready to count the birds with the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch: 23rd – 25th January 2026
FeatherSnap, the solar-powered, Wi-Fi enabled smart bird feeder, is proudly supporting the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 encouraging households across the UK to join hundreds of thousands of people taking part in the nation’s largest annual survey of garden birds.
Fun, free and open to everyone, the Big Garden Birdwatch provides a vital snapshot of how our most familiar bird species are faring. Every count helps build a clearer picture of the health of the UK’s bird populations and offers a simple, positive way for people to take action for nature.
Together, let’s make it count
Traditionally, birdwatchers have relied on sitting patiently in the garden, counting birds as they flit along fences or dart between feeders. FeatherSnap makes the process easier than ever, even when you’re not there to keep watch. Instead of guessing who popped by while you were out, FeatherSnap captures every visit automatically, making it simple to see exactly which birds are using your garden and how often.
In the lead-up to the bird count, taking place from 23rd – 25th January, Feathersnap is encouraging nature lovers to get their gardens bird count ready.
From practical tips on attracting birds into gardens and green spaces, to exclusive savings, FeatherSnap is offering 15% off feeders from 14th –31st January 2026 using the code FSRSPB15.
The perfect tool for effortless bird counting
Equipped with motion-activated cameras and AI-powered bird identification, FeatherSnap automatically captures high-resolution photos and videos of every visitor, delivering them straight to the FeatherSnap app.
Users can watch live, receive instant notifications, catalogue species and build a personal digital Bird Book – making it the ideal companion for observing, identifying and counting birds in support of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
Throughout the campaign, FeatherSnap will also be encouraging users to share their favourite sightings across social media using #BigGardenBirdwatch, helping to spread awareness and inspire even more people to take part.
FeatherSnap’s resident Ornithologist and Research Specialist,Maria Kincaid, said: “The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch is a fantastic and hugely important initiative.
“I’m a huge proponent of citizen science – the more people that get involved, the better the data we can gather. It also helps people feel connected to the scientific process, providing a valuable snapshot of how birds are coping during winter, when they need our support the most, and helping to track population trends over time.”
“At this time of year, there’s very little blooming in our gardens to support insects. While most birds continue to rely on natural foraging, studies show that garden feeders can provide valuable supplementary support during lean periods – while also giving people an unrivalled close-up view of the wildlife right on their doorstep.”
Here, Maria shares her top tips for creating a bird friendly garden and getting bird count ready:
Make sure your feeders are filled and maintained. It’s incredibly important to make sure that we’re not only regularly filling our feeders, but cleaning and sanitizing them as well – this helps to prevent the spread of diseases, and make sure that we’re not feeding spoiled food.
Fill your feeders with high calorie/nutritionally dense food – suet is a great option for winter as it’s an easy to digest fat full of calories. Thistle, sunflower seeds, and nut mixes are also great options.
Feeder placement matters too. keeping feeders either within three feet of windows or more than ten to reduce the risk of collisions, hanging them around five feet high for both access and squirrel deterrence, and positioning them near cover, without creating hiding spots for cats.
Providing water is also very important during cold snaps – having open water is a limiting factor in the winter, so providing a bird bath is an excellent choice. If it’s regularly freezing, consider a heated bird bath, or adding a heating element. The goal is to make sure that the water doesn’t freeze, not to have it be spectacularly warm.
Lastly, having a lot of cover available, whether it’s shrubs or a brush pile, makes for great roosting spots for birds, as they can get away from the wind and cold. Creating a brush pile in the corner your garden will also create a great foraging space.
POLICE are appealing for information following a serious assault in Edinburgh.
Around 4.35pm on Friday, 16 January, 2026, police received a report of the serious assault of a 20-year-old man at a bus stop on Nicholson Street.
The suspect approached the victim and seriously assaulted him, before making off towards Nicholson Square.
The suspect is described as white, of stocky build, around 6ft 2ins and aged between 25 and 32. At the time he was wearing a long black Nike coat, a black hoodie with his hood up, black trousers and dark coloured shoes.
The 20-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment.
Detective Constable Gary Lipscombe said: “This incident left a man with serious injuries, and extensive enquiries are ongoing to trace the person responsible.
“We know that the area was very busy at the time and would encourage anyone who witnessed the incident and has yet to speak to officers to come forward.
“Anyone with information, or concerns, is asked to contact officers locally or call 101, quoting incident number 2461 of 16 January, 2026.
“Alternatively, information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Gas network company SGN is upgrading the gas network in Telford Road to ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.
The project involves replacing old metal mains, reaching the end of their useful lives, with new plastic pipe. This will help ensure local homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply long into the future.
Following close consultation with the City of Edinburgh Council, works will start on Monday 26 January and last for approximately six weeks. The project will begin in Telford Road at its junction with Groathill Road North, operating under temporary traffic lights for approximately two weeks.
The work will then progress eastbound along Telford Road under a lane closure. before progressing east under a lane closure. Please note that delays are expected during peak travel periods.
Localised road closures in Groathill Road South and Telford Drive will be required at various stages to allow traffic to flow on Telford Road. Clearly signed diversions will be in place to assist road users.
SGN spokesperson Katie Lobban said: “We’ve worked closely with the local authorities in planning this work and we will be doing everything we can to limit disruption during our essential project.
“This section of our gas main has required a number of emergency repairs in recent years, so we’ve made the decision to fully replace the pipe to reduce any further disruption to the local community and commuters.
“We appreciate that roadworks can be frustrating and would like to thank everyone affected for your patience, understanding and support as we work to improve the energy infrastructure in Edinburgh.”
Drama@Drylaw is a friendly, informal group where we come together to move, chat, laugh and explore everyday life through simple drama activities.
The activities are based on familiar, real-life situations, so it’s great for building confidence, communication skills and vocabulary – including for people who want to practise English in a natural, supportive way. Everyone’s contributions are valued, and people bring their own experiences to the group.
Each session begins with gentle, mindful bodywork to help us relax and feel comfortable working together. There’s also time to catch up, share news and enjoy being part of a group before moving into creative activities. The activities are different every week, so if you miss a session because of appointments or family commitments, you can drop straight back in the following week.
There’s no acting, no scripts and no pressure to perform – just a chance to try something new in a safe, encouraging space. Drama@Drylaw is growing, and the new year is a great time to give it a try.
Every Tuesday 10:30am – 12:30pm.
New members are very welcome — just come along and see how it feels!
Holiday cheer has faded, credit card bills have arrived, and motivation is running low; Blue Monday on 19th January is billed to be the most depressing day of the year.
But what if instead of being something to endure, it marks the start of a powerful reset? GroceryAid – a charity that provides relief in tough times for grocery workers and their families – is urging anyone struggling with money worries and emotional strain to use Blue Monday as a chance to reach out and access the wide range of support available and kickstart a happier and healthier 2026.
Mandi Leonard, Welfare Director at GroceryAid, shares top tips for accessing vital help that could change a negative date into the start of something positive:
Find out if you’re eligible for free money
A quick search on grants-search.turn2us.org.uk will tell you if you could be eligible for a financial grant from a range of sources. Or if you’re one of the 2.6 million people working in the grocery industry, GroceryAid should be your first port of call. Last year the charity provided £4.6m in financial grants to help with everything from priority debts to supporting those on a reduced income due to caring responsibilities. Find out if your eligible to apply at groceryaid.org
Combine quick-impact help with long-term support
If you’ve got money worries and are struggling to make ends meet, see if you’re eligible for a financial grant, but don’t stop there. Underpin it with money management advice and practical support to better equip you for the future.
Check out groceryaid.org for handy budgeting tools and help managing bills or turn to StepChange and MoneyHelper for free debt advice.
Don’t wait until you are at crisis point
Many people assume support is only available in extreme circumstances but it’s available long before crisis hits. If you’re experiencing an unexpected bump in the road which is affecting your financial and emotional wellbeing, it’s time to seek help now – don’t wait for a blip to turn into an emergency.
Contact your mortgage company or energy provider to discuss payment plans when bills start to get on top of you, and look into mental health hints and tips to tackle niggles before they get bigger.
Talk to your friends and family
Let’s make suffering in silence a thing of the past. Opening up to friends and family can be the first step in making a change and by being a good listener yourself, you could be the catalyst to helping someone get back on their feet.
Most people know someone who works in the grocery industry and could potentially benefit from GroceryAid support, whether now or in the future. Be ready to spread the word about the support available.
Don’t see help as a handout
There is zero shame in asking for help and it isn’t a handout. GroceryAid, for example, provides free and confidential financial, emotional and practical support to grocery workers, from shop workers to factory operators, because they help feed the nation – it is the help they have earned.
Mandi adds: “Blue Monday doesn’t have to be something people simply get through. It can be a moment to pause, reset and take that first step towards feeling more in control.
“At GroceryAid we see time and again how reaching out early – whether for financial help, emotional support or practical advice – can make a real difference. If things feel tough right now, you’re not alone, and support is there to help you start 2026 in a stronger, more positive place.”
For more information on the free and confidential support available, visit: groceryaid.org.uk/get-help/ or call 08088 021 122.
There’s lots for theatre lovers to be excited about at Vue this year, with several productions taking over the big screen in the first quarter of 2026.
Kicking things off is the Royal Ballet and Opera’s La Traviata, arriving on screens from 14 January. Audiences can enter a world of seductive grandeur, experiencing the tender and devastating beauty of Verdi’s opera, directed by Richard Eyre.
Also heading to Vue from the Royal Ballet and Opera is Woolf Works (from 9 Feb), Giselle (from 3 March) and Siegfried (from 31 March). In the former, resident choreographer Wayne McGregor leads a luminous artistic team to evoke Woolf’s signature stream of consciousness writing style in this immense work that rejects traditional narrative structures.
Meanwhile, Giselle conjures up the earthly and otherworldly realms in a tale of love, betrayal and redemption with Peter Wright’s 1985 production of the quintessential Romantic ballet – set to Adolphe Adam’s evocative score with atmospheric designs by John Macfarlane.
The latter is brought to life under Barrie Kosky’s inspired eye, following his spectacular Das Rheingold (2023) and Die Walküre (2025). Andreas Schager, in his much-anticipated debut with the productions house, stars as Siegfried’s titular hero, with Antonio Pappano conducting, drawing out the unspoken tensions and ethereal mysticism of Wagner’s dynamic score.
Fans of Shakespeare can enjoy two of the world’s greatest playwright’s productions at Vue, with Othello heading to Vue from 4 March after being filmed at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London especially for the big screen.
Directed by Tony Award-winner Tom Morris OBE (War Horse, Dr Semmelweis, The Grinning Man) with music by PJ Harvey, this epic story of manipulation, jealousy and toxic masculinity explores the darker side of power, rage and desire.
Meanwhile, the National Theatre’s Hamlet will be arriving from 22 January. Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) takes on the titular role in this fearless, contemporary take on the famous tragedy.
Also returning from the National Theatre is Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren in The Audience (from 26 February), where she plays Queen Elizabeth II in Olivier Award–winning hit production that inspired Netflix’s The Crown.
Finally, from the Metropolitan Opera is Tristan und Isolde– arriving on screens from 24 March. The electrifying Lise Davidsen tackles one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano: the Irish princess Isolde in Wagner’s transcendent meditation on love and death. Heroic tenor Michael Spyres stars opposite Davidsen as the love-drunk Tristan.
Researchers in Glasgow identify new target for treatment
SCOTS scientists seeking answers to the mystery of why cancer occurs in certain parts of the body and not others may have found a new way to tackle some hard-to-treat cancers.
The research team – part of the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, to take on some of cancer’s toughest challenges – focused on genetic faults that allow cancer to hijack a signalling system in the body which tells cells when, and when not, to grow. Cancer can then use that system, called the WNT pathway, to grow tumours in the intestine and liver.
A new paper published in Nature Genetics has revealed that a protein called nucleophosmin (NPM1), which is involved in the control of growth, was found to be in high levels in bowel cancer and some liver cancers, due to the genetic errors in the WNT pathway. By blocking this protein, the team found that it may be possible to develop new treatments for specific cancers which hijack the body’s growth system through this genetic error.
Lead researcher on the project Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and the University of Glasgow, and co-investigator for team SPECIFICANCER, said:“Because NPM1 isn’t essential for normal adult tissue health, blocking it could be a safe way to treat certain cancers, like some hard-to-treat bowel and liver cancers.
“We found that if NPM1 is removed, cancer cells struggle to make proteins properly and this allows a tumour suppressor to activate, preventing cancer growth.
“Increasing numbers of people are affected by these cancers, with some treatments unfortunately limited for some patients, so finding a new way to tackle these cancers is crucial.”
Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow studied genes which can cause cancer, looking specifically at the bowel and liver, to discover why those genes only cause cancers in specific tissues.
Part of the SPECIFICANCER project, which focuses on why some cancer-causing genes only cause cancers in specific tissues, this new research identified a way to target some of the genetic errors that cause hard-to-treat cancers in those organs.
Scotland has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, and liver cancer in the UK. There are around 4,200 people in the UK diagnosed with bowel cancer each year. It remains the second most common cause of cancer death in Scotland, claiming around 1,700 lives annually.
A recent study by the American Cancer Society published in The Lancet Oncology showed early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied and are rising faster in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.
Around 670 people die from liver cancer each year in Scotland so finding more effective ways to tackle the disease is vital.
Dr David Scott, Director of Cancer Grand Challenges, said:“Scientific breakthroughs like this demonstrate the power of Cancer Grand Challenges to bring together the world’s best minds to transform our understanding of how cancer starts and, crucially, how we treat it.
“By scrutinising the fundamental processes that drive cancer, we can tackle the disease at its beginnings, driving progress towards real-world impact for people affected by cancer.”
Proteins are essential for the body to build structures such as skin, hair or other tissue, but sometimes the body’s messaging system goes wrong, causing tumours to grow.
This can be caused by mutations in the body’s messaging system, which then pass on the wrong instructions from our DNA, causing the cells to grow uncontrollably.
SPECIFICANCER was co-funded by Cancer Research UK and the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research in 2019 to understand a central mystery in cancer biology – why some cancer-causing genes only cause cancers in specific tissues.
For example, it is known that the BRCA genes can increase the risk of breast or ovarian cancer but not heart or skin cancers.
The mechanisms have proved to be a mystery, and SPECIFICANCER is seeking patterns and vulnerabilities to find new treatments more personalised to a patient or particular area of the body.
Bowel and liver cancers were the focus of this latest research, but the team hope its findings could be applicable to other cancers.
The next step is to find medical treatments which block the production of the NPM1 protein. There are already existing treatments which can slow tumour growth so if a new drug can be discovered to target NPM1 in the same way, it could provide a safe and effective way to treat certain cancers.
Young entrepreneurs will be supported to turn their ideas into successful businesses through a new Scottish Government programme.The First Minister’s Start Up Challenge will empower young people aged 18 – 30 from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds to start innovative businesses.
Delivered in partnership with The King’s Trust and social enterprise Dechomai, around 20 participants will be selected for a six-month accelerated entrepreneurial apprenticeship. This will provide tailored support and access to masterclasses, workshops and hands-on experience.
Participants will receive a £500 “Test Your Business” grant, with those ready to launch eligible to apply for a £5,000 start-up grant. At the end of the programme, one winner will be awarded £30,000 to dedicate a full year to developing their business.
First Minister John Swinney said: “I am unashamedly ambitious for Scotland’s young people and want to ensure my government leaves no stone unturned in supporting them to achieve their ambitions.
“That is why I am excited to be launching the First Minister’s Start Up Challenge which will help unearth and expand the creative entrepreneurial spirit that stretches across Scotland.
“This will provide vital support, including mentorship from those who have built their business, and funding to young people to set up their own business.
“It will not only be life changing for the young people taking part but will have a ripple effect across the country – inspiring entrepreneurial spirit, creating a constant flow of future founders and strengthening Scotland’s’ position as a nation of innovation and enterprise.
“Attracting investment into the country whilst reinforcing Scotland’s emerging reputation as a fast-growing entrepreneurial economy, will be crucial to achieving my key priority of growing the economy while also ensuring we can invest in our other vital priorities such as eradicating child poverty. We’ve long been an innovative and entrepreneurial country and this investment will ensure the next generation can set up the businesses of tomorrow.”
The Kings Trust Director of Delivery (Scotland) Lou Goodlad said: “”The King’s Trust is delighted to partner with the Scottish Government and Dechomai to deliver The First Minister’s Start Up Challenge.
“This programme builds on our collective experience supporting young people to start their own business, and together, it will empower young people facing barriers to self-employment. Participants will benefit from a bespoke programme and access to grant funding to help scale their businesses.
“This unique initiative will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy, offering young people an incredible opportunity to unlock their entrepreneurial potential. We’re excited to play a key role in the First Minister’s Start Up Challenge and to support the next generation of entrepreneurs in Scotland.”
Founder of Dechomai Bayile Adeoti: ““Working alongside The King’s Trust to deliver the First Minister’s Start-Up Challenge for the Scottish Government is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Dechomai and for the work we do across Scotland.
“At Dechomai, we believe that real and lasting impact happens when founders, educators, communities and institutions come together to build collaboratively.
“The Start-Up Challenge represents what’s possible when we invest in young people and take a genuinely place based and person-centred approach to enterprise and opportunity.
“Partnering with The King’s Trust is also a deeply personal milestone for me. As a former Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust grant recipient, this feels like a full circle moment and a powerful reminder of the importance of belief, access and collective effort. We’re excited to help shape a future where more young people across Scotland can see themselves as founders, leaders and changemakers.”
Drama@Drylaw – a relaxed, welcoming social group
Every Tuesday 10:30am – 12:30pm.
