Aberlour Children’s Charity promises emergency support is only the start

Lifeline payments being delivered within days will pull some of Scotland's most vulnerable families from the brink of financial crisis, according to a leading charity.

Aberlour Children’s Charity said frontline teams are already working with families in the city to ensure an extra £550,000 of emergency grants will deliver immediate help and build a foundation for a more secure future.

The money is part of a £10million package announced by the Scottish Government to be shared between charities and government agencies providing emergency financial support to ease child poverty.

Justina Murray, Chief Executive of Aberlour, said the extra funding for the charity’s Urgent Assistance Fund (UAF) is welcome with the emergency support providing both short-term help and an opportunity to build more stability and security for families.

She said:

Our immediate priority is to ensure this money is used most effectively to help families facing financial calamity right now.

“These emergency grants will help families unable to pay for absolute essentials, from food and heating to clothes and bedding.

“This money is a lifeline but remains only short-term relief and, when today’s emergency is averted, our responsibility is to offer practical, life-changing support for those families tomorrow and all the days after that.

“This extra money awarded by the Scottish Government is welcome, and will undoubtedly protect hundreds of children and their families in the short term, but crisis care is not enough.

“As a country, we must do more to raise our families out of poverty for good.

Research last year revealed child poverty is still rising in Scotland’s biggest city where one in four young people - 25,690 young Glaswegians, 26% of the city’s children - are living in families where income is below 40% of the national median.

Aberlour said emergency payments to families unable to pay for food and heating surged by a fifth last year, with £378,000 of emergency payments from its Urgent Assistance Fund approved in the year to October 2025, up 17 per cent on the preceding 12 months.

Since 2021, the charity, delivering frontline care and support for families and children across Scotland, has distributed almost £3m from the fund with the majority of applicants seeking help to buy food, clothing and heating. The average payment was £236 last year and delivered within days of approval.

Murray, who joined Aberlour, one of Scotland’s most influential charities, last year, said:

These payments are relatively small, a few hundred pounds, but can mean children will not go to bed cold or to school hungry.

“Many families are living from pound to pound and a single unexpected bill, for a broken washing machine or bedding damaged by damp, can topple them into crisis.

“Our teams offer a whole range of practical assistance and emotional support but, at times of absolute need, families require money most urgently.”

“These crisis payments can literally keep the lights on for families and gives them a chance, with our support, to find a more solid footing.

SNAPSHOTS OF CRISIS: FAMILIES ON THE BRINK

Applying to Aberlour’s Urgent Assistance Fund, two Glasgow parents, whose names have been changed, reveal the toll of poverty on their children.

Sandra: ‘My daughter’s shoes are leaking. She’s cold all day’

I need help to buy my children shoes as the cold is making them ill. My daughter goes to school in shoes that let in water and make her cold for the rest of the day.

"She is picking up every cold and is tired all the time. Her mattress has springs poking through it and some mornings I find her sleeping on the sofa.

"Her youngest brother is still in nappies but it’s hard to buy the baby things he needs. Even the clothes to keep him warm are beyond me. A warm jacket is what he needs most.

"It’s absolutely freezing and my kids are cold and exhausted. I’m doing everything I can but it’s not enough. It makes me feel ashamed.

Robert: ‘My son’s bedroom was flooded. The walls are black with mould’

The upstairs neighbours flooded our flat and my son’s bedroom is now out of action until we can get it fixed. The hall is damaged too.

"It was already a cold, cold flat. So poorly insulated but the flooding has made it worse. We need new flooring and beds but I don’t have a pound to spare.

"We had mould before but it’s everywhere now. I’m always cleaning, wiping it down, but it smells awful and looks worse. My hands are ruined with bleach.

"I hope the kids had a decent Christmas. I tried my best but, to me, it felt pretty grim, just something else to worry about. I was struggling to keep the kids warm never mind get them presents.

"The state of the flat, the cold and damp, is bad enough but I’m most scared about what might be coming next? What’s around the corner?

Do you support a family in desperate need? Find out more about applying to the Urgent Assistance Fund.

This article was written for The Herald and publised on Saturday 17th Janaury 2026.

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