Tag: nationwide campaign

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.”

Glowing Tribute to KT Tunstall!

Music Venue transformed by The National Lottery as Part of Everywhere At Once Festival

  • The National Lottery has transformed Carnegie Hall with a striking projection of Katie Tunstall’s iconic song lyrics – Suddenly I See – onto the side of the building where she performed early in her career, celebrating hometown pride as many venues face closure due to growing financial pressures. 
  • This projection joins a nationwide activation that marks the launch of Everywhere At Once, shining a spotlight on the vital role independent venues play in nurturing emerging talent and shaping local cultural identity. 
  • National Lottery players have been the biggest supporters of grassroots music, with over £1 billion raised for music related projects.  
  • Full listings and ticket details for Everywhere at Once can be found here: www.everywherefest.com 

Lyrics from KT Tunstall’s anthem ‘Suddenly I See’ were illuminated onto Carnegie Hall in Fife, close to where she grew up, and recipient of £77,000 in funding from The National Lottery. Members of the public were stopped in their tracks upon seeing the iconic song lyrics projected onto this iconic music venue to mark the Everywhere At Once festival. 

Taking place on what would have been the Glastonbury Festival weekend of June 26 to 28, 2026, more than 400 grassroots music venues will stage hundreds of live music events under the banner of Everywhere At Once, making it the UK’s biggest festival.  

The initiative, brought to life by a partnership between Music Venue Trust and The National Lottery, will create a national moment to celebrate the grassroots music ecosystem. 

More than £1 billion has been raised for music related projects across the UK, helping support venues, festivals, emerging artists and community organisations – all made possible because of National Lottery players. This funding continues to play a vital role in protecting grassroots venues at a time when many face increasing financial pressure despite their enormous cultural importance. 

Additional projections across the UK, include lyrics lighting up venues including 229 in London where Tinie Tempah performed the night his breakout single ‘Pass Out’ went to number 1 in the charts; Worcester’s The Marrs Bar, an early-stage venue for Becky Hill; and Empire Music Hall in Belfast where The Divine Comedy performed in their early days. 

People feel a strong sense of pride and connection to artists from their local area, with hometown success stories becoming an important source of identity and celebration across the UK.

Music has long played a central role in shaping this cultural pride, including the connection of Katie Tunstall to Carnegie Hall in Fife. Grassroots venues are at the heart of these stories, providing essential spaces where emerging talent can develop while bringing communities together through shared live music experiences.

The projections capture this spirit, transforming the venues that helped launch careers into glowing symbols of local pride. 

Alastair Ruxton, Chief Impact Office at Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, said: “Across the UK, people feel a strong sense of connection to artists from their local area, with hometown success stories becoming an important source of identity and celebration.

“Grassroots venues are at the heart of these stories, providing essential spaces where emerging talent can develop while bringing communities together through shared live music experiences.

“These projections capture that spirit, they celebrate not just iconic artists and lyrics, but the grassroots venues and local communities that supported them from the very beginning. Because of National Lottery players, more than £1 billion has been raised for music related projects across the UK, helping these vital venues continue to nurture the next generation of talent.” 

Everywhere At Once will take place across hundreds of venues nationwide, with more than 2,000 artists performing across a diverse range of genres. 

As one of the biggest supporters of grassroots music, The National Lottery is helping power this unprecedented weekend championing independent venues, supporting emerging talent, and shining a light on the foundations of the UK music scene. 

PICTURES: Sandy Young