[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$f2efc4en0z3kki":17},{"id":4,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":8,"slug":9,"content":10,"content_overview":11,"published_at":12,"seo_title":8,"seo_description":13,"image":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16},"01m5fanaffkxrzkrpj1x4keag4","9cdbdd6d-4900-4646-a012-d3e67a5ee788","01j303dmcc6n6900v73fs88bc7",false,"Right to Food Commission supports Aberlour's Call to End School Meal Debt","right-to-food-commission-supports-aberlours-call","\u003Cp>School meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three words that should never be uttered in the same sentence\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Children bearing the burden and stigma of debt should shame any society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, here in Scotland that is what we saw happening for thousands of children and their families around the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For many high school children having a negative balance on their parent pay account would mean being unable to access a meal at school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>School meal debt and hidden school hunger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two sides of the same coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what side that coin lands on it would still show how badly we have failed many of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is why at Aberlour we were compelled to do something about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make sure we stood beside those children and their families and to call for something to change – urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We wanted to make sure we saw an \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fabout-us\u002Fpolicy-and-influencing\u002Fpublic-debt\u002Fschool-meal-debt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">end to school meal debt and hidden school hunger for good\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2023 we urged the then First Minister, Humza Yusaf, to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To bring an end to the shameful practice of children and their families being chased by debt collectors for school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>School meal debt is a symptom of families not having enough money to provide the very basics for their children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fundamentally, it is about a lack of income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We welcomed the introduction of a one-off School Meal Debt Fund to write off outstanding debt for one year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we were clear that was not enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our evidence shows that the majority of children with school meal debt are from low-income working families who do not qualify for free school meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, along with writing off the debt for struggling families, we called for the expansion of Free School Meals to all low-income families across Scotland to help prevent school meal debt in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, we welcomed John Swinney’s subsequent commitment to continuing the School Meal Debt Fund for a further year to write off nearly £3 million of school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Figures show that this benefitted 70,000 children and their families across Scotland over the last two years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A welcome relief for many, but still a limited intervention without a long-term solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our campaign to end school meal debt has continued up to and during the recent Scottish Parliament elections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year we also published evidence that pointed to the extent of school meal debt for children and their families in England.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What our research suggested was that around 1 in 4 children not eligible for free school meals in England had regular or persistent school meal debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so we called on the UK Government to act and follow Scotland’s lead by taking action to end school meal debt for children across the rest of the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This week saw the launch of the independent UK Right to Food Commission report and findings following their work to evidence the scale of food insecurity across the UK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Commission’s report provides a roadmap and clear actions all governments across the UK must take to end food insecurity for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This includes ending school meal debt for good for all children the length of the country, from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Scotland, the SNP made a commitment during the Scottish Parliamentary election campaign to end school meal debt once and for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That manifesto pledge was then followed by the First Minister announcing that families struggling with school meal debt would continue to be helped by committing the same level of investment again this year to write that debt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time this will happen alongside the further expansion of Free School Meals in primary schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The urgent measure and a preventative solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is much more the First Minister must do to make real progress on his ambition to “eradicate child poverty”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this is one example that the rest of the UK can follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Making sure no child ever again is burdened with debt or goes hungry at school would be a quick win for Andy Burnham, to show his commitment to tackling food insecurity by ending school meal debt in every postcode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Martin Canavan\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Head of Policy & Influencing \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>",null,"2026-10-21T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour Children's Charity's Head of Policy & Influencing, Martin Canavan, shares what must be done to end school meal debt and hidden hunger in schools for good. He shares what has been done in Scotland and what must be done in England.","media\u002Fshared image.jpg","2026-10-21T13:33:25.000000Z","2026-10-22T08:11:54.000000Z",{"id":18,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":23,"published_at":24,"seo_title":25,"seo_description":26,"image":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29,"next":30,"prev":31},"01j6cdm1tpfbzkja16mq6xrmb2","1","Groundbreaking Anti-poverty Approach sees Debts Reduced for Disadvantaged Families","groundbreaking-anti-poverty-approach-sees-debts-reduced-for-disadvantaged-families","\u003Cp>In a pioneering effort to tackle the profound impacts of poverty on families, Aberlour, Scotland’s leading children’s charity, has unveiled the remarkable success of its innovative anti-poverty initiative. Coinciding with Debt Awareness Week, Aberlour announces the groundbreaking results of its Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Faberlour-family-financial-wellbeing-tayside-pilot-evaluation\">The Aberlour Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot,\u003C\u002Fa> which was funded with grants from the Robertson Trust, the Corra Foundation, and Aberlour itself, has demonstrated the transformative potential of providing targeted personal financial support to disadvantaged families. Throughout a three-year pilot starting in December 2021, Aberlour has worked closely with families grappling with challenges such as poverty, homelessness and mental health issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Working with three Tayside local authorities, the initiative undertook a series of innovative interventions, including the payment of involuntary public debts such as council taxes or rent arrears, enabling families to afford essential expenses such as food and clothing as well as Christmas gifts and specialised sensory toys for children with disabilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Testimonials from families supported by the project underscore its impact on their lives: \u003Cem>“We had a Christmas! We would not have been able to afford anything at all this year, which was scary and very upsetting.”\u003C\u002Fem> Another shared, “\u003Cem>It has given us hope; now there is light at the end of the tunnel. I genuinely believe that now. I didn’t before at all.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, families emphasised how the support received through the pilot programme had helped to keep them together, averting the looming threat of separation. One family member explained: \u003Cem>“It has removed a huge burden. We may have had to consider going on the run to stay as a family. I’m serious.”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fpublications\u002Faberlour-family-financial-wellbeing-tayside-pilot-evaluation\">The Aberlour Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot\u003C\u002Fa> identified systemic shortcomings in debt collection practices, particularly the lack of coordination among public debt collectors. This often resulted in simultaneous deductions from wages and benefits by multiple public agencies, exacerbating financial hardship for disadvantaged families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue, Aberlour’s CEO, SallyAnn Kelly OBE, emphasised,\u003C\u002Fstrong> “We cannot have a system that prioritises debt repayment over ensuring families can feed and clothe their children. The state must serve as a safety net, not a financial trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to see comprehensive reform of debt collection practices by public bodies and governments must take proactive measures to address the escalating debt crisis faced by disadvantaged families.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Aberlour Family Financial Wellbeing Pilot stands as a model that can be implemented nationwide as part of a concerted effort to alleviate the burden of debt on disadvantaged households and help tackle child poverty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>In a pioneering effort to tackle the profound impacts of poverty on families, Aberlour, Scotland’s leading children’s charity, has unveiled the remarkable success of its innovative anti-poverty initiative. Coinciding with Debt Awareness Week, Aberlour announces the groundbreaking results of its Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot. The Aberlour Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot, which was funded … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fgroundbreaking-anti-poverty-approach-sees-debts-reduced-for-disadvantaged-families\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-03-18T00:00:00.000000Z","Groundbreaking Anti-poverty Approach sees Debts Reduced for Disadvantaged Families - Aberlour - Web Backend","In a pioneering effort to tackle the profound impacts of poverty on families, Aberlour, has unveiled the remarkable success of its innovative anti-poverty initiative.","media\u002FCoL-crisis-2.jpg","2024-08-28T11:58:31.000000Z","2024-11-25T07:22:18.000000Z",{"id":18,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":23,"published_at":24,"seo_title":25,"seo_description":26,"image":27,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},{"id":32,"blog_author_id":19,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":33,"slug":34,"content":35,"content_overview":36,"published_at":37,"seo_title":38,"seo_description":39,"image":40,"created_at":28,"updated_at":29},"01j6cdm1tvv5wev0sxyb4t06h7","New edition of ‘Haste ye Back’","new-edition-of-haste-ye-back","\u003Cp>“Haste ye Back” the retrospective story of Dorothy K. Haynes’ upbringing at the Aberlour orphanage has been edited and launched this week by Dr Craig Lamont (FRHistS) lecturer in Scottish Studies at the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies at Glasgow University. This is a fresh and considered approach to the life of Dorothy K. Haynes. It includes an unedited original version of “Haste ye Back” as well as four additional texts – three of which are reminiscences of her time in the orphanage and the fourth an example of her short story writing “The Head”.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr Lamont first discovered the numerous writings of Dorothy K Haynes when he was at Trinity High School in Rutherglen. He was inspired by the hugely talented but relatively unknown Scottish authoress who specialised in short stories. Fortuitously when researching Dorothy K. Haynes Dr Lamont tracked down her son, Leonard Gray, who was able to supply him with access to her writing including the original edition of Haste Ye Back, her diaries and typescripts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this memoir Dorothy recounts how as a ten year old she and her twin brother Leonard were sent to live at the orphanage in Speyside following the death of their mother in 1929. Led to believe that they were going to boarding school the children embarked on their new lives at Aberlour. Details are given of events and activities including the annual trip to Lossiemouth where 500 children enjoyed the freedom of the beach and others the annual pilgrimage to the lighthouse. Upon leaving Lossie the locals called upon the children to ‘Haste ye Back’.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Haste ye Back’ was first published in 1973 by which time Dorothy was a housewife married to John, who also grew up in the orphanage, and mother of two boys living in Lanarkshire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Dr Lamont \u003C\u002Fstrong>says; “To edit and produce a new edition of \u003Cem>Haste Ye Back\u003C\u002Fem> fifty years after its first printing is a proud, personal achievement. I first read Dorothy K. Haynes in high school, and it kindled a sense of awe for literature. I have been working for many years on editing projects at the University of Glasgow, huge textual volumes on Robert Burns and Allan Ramsay. To apply the experience of working on these writers to a sorely neglected Scottish talent is something I am very proud of. To be able to rejuvenate Haynes’s legacy, not just for new readers but for her son Leonard and his family makes it extra special.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>CEO of Aberlour, SallyAnn Kelly OBE\u003C\u002Fstrong> says; “We are very grateful to Dr Craig Lamont for keeping Dorothy and the children in the Aberlour orphanage’s stories alive. Between 1875 and 1967 our orphanage was home to over 6000 children. For some young people life in the orphanage was distressing and their stories are hard to hear. In her writing however, Dorothy paints a picture of the orphanage being a true home and for the most part a happy one at that. This new edition of ‘Haste ye Back’ with its additional texts has an important role to play in recording social history.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The book launch event was hosted at at the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies at Glasgow University as part of their 2023\u002F24 programme. It was attended by Dr Craig Lamont, SallyAnn Kelly in addition to Leonard and Anne Gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Books can be obtained in various bookshops including Waterstones for £14.95\u003C\u002Fp>\n","\u003Cp>“Haste ye Back” the retrospective story of Dorothy K. Haynes’ upbringing at the Aberlour orphanage has been edited and launched this week by Dr Craig Lamont (FRHistS) lecturer in Scottish Studies at the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies at Glasgow University. This is a fresh and considered approach to the life of Dorothy K. … \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fweb-backend.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fnew-edition-of-haste-ye-back\u002F\">Continued\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n","2024-03-08T00:00:00.000000Z","New edition of 'Haste ye Back' - Aberlour - Web Backend","“Haste ye Back” the retrospective story of Dorothy K. Haynes’ upbringing at the Aberlour orphanage has been edited and launched this week.","media\u002FIMG_7989.jpg"]