[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f10b3rz2z388kj":3,"$fatx3i36enkcv":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":5,"blog_category_id":19,"is_featured":7,"title":20,"slug":21,"content":22,"content_overview":11,"published_at":23,"seo_title":20,"seo_description":24,"image":25,"created_at":26,"updated_at":27,"next":28,"prev":38},"01k3r4fz80gvman36kbraqb8hg","1","Ibrahim’s story: ‘They’re my angels, my guardian angels’","ibrahims-story-theyre-my-angels-my-guardian-angels","\u003Cp>The first British voice Ibrahim heard was the ferry’s recorded message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Freezing and hungry, the teenager was hiding in the dark, face to the floor, crammed in a 2ft gap between fridges full of peaches, as the lorry rolled on then, seven hours later, off the ship. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the end of journey that had started four years earlier and thousands of miles away but the beginning of the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Outside, we heard a voice on the loudspeaker outside saying, Welcome to Dover. I couldn’t believe it. No way, I thought,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had a little phone but there had been no signal for hours. I opened it and checked my location, I was in the United Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was the 28th of June 2019. I was 16 years and seven months old and my life changed forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Ibrahim is six years older now and speaking in the offices of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002Fget-help\u002Fguardianship-scotland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Guardianship Scotland\u003C\u002Fa>, the support service helping unaccompanied children seeking a safe haven in Britain after fleeing danger at home. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His journey to Scotland had started in Daraa, in the very south of Syria, 3500 miles from the bright top-floor offices in the centre of Glasgow but, he says, the true distance cannot be measured on a map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daraa was a turbulent hotbed of opposition to the regime of Bashar al-Assad where armed groups, including Russian and Iranian militia, fought for more than a decade with the bloodshed including the targeted murder of civilians, bombings and kidnappings. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first serious protests against the Assad government began there in 2011 but Ibrahim, who lived with his parents and seven brothers and sisters, remembers violence being rife before then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>The war started getting a lot worse in 2010, people being killed without reason,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The army was killing people, kidnapping people, hundreds of people. I was just a little boy but all the time, it felt dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We only had electricity two hours a day, sometimes one hour, no fridge and no food to put in one anyway. We had nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We would all stay in the flat in the dark for days because soldiers were everywhere. It got worse and worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>In May 2014, his father, who could no longer work in construction because of the army roadblocks isolating towns, decided to flee leading his family to Lebanon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Ibrahim said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>We hid from the Syrian soldiers and sneaked into Lebanon. We settled but it was difficult there,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was better and safer than where we had come from but there was a lot of racism towards Syrians there. A lot of threat. Some people were nice but many treated Syrians very badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>In 2018, Ibrahim's father could no longer work because of back problems and the family was forced to leave their flat and move to a refugee camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>I was nearly 16 and felt like I had no good choices,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I couldn’t stay in the camp and if I went back to Syria, I would be forced into the army, killing people I used to live beside or being killed by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Describing Daraa, the European Union Agency for Asylum, which advises governments on refugee claims, says it is a region riven by violence, unrest, armed groups, and civilian deaths, concluding: “Substantial grounds are shown for believing that a civilian, returned to the governorate, would, solely on account of their presence on its territory, face a real risk of being subject to the serious threat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Ibrahim cannot imagine safely returning to his home country, then or now, adding: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>I was scared but my father told me I had to leave, to find a new life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My brother was older and had already made the journey to Britain rather than be enlisted by the Syrian army or killed by them. I aimed to join him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>In 2019, Ibrahim, now 16, travelled to Turkey before crossing into Greece illegally after a perilous boat crossing and a brutal reception from border guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>They were hitting and hitting. I thought I was going to die. I thought that was the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>After being released from custody in Greece, he would travel to Germany, Belgium and into France where, in Dunkirk, he tried to reach Britain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>I was there for a month and tried two or three times to sneak into the back of lorry before it went onto the ferry,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I met a man, who could open the doors so quickly and without any noise. We sneaked in, four of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After getting off the ferry, the lorry was on the motorway but getting colder and colder, until we were worried the cold would kills us. We called the police. Three minutes later the doors opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>After being interviewed, he spent two months in a hostel in Kent and began his application for asylum. Covid and lockdown meant its progress was repeatedly delayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2020, he came to Scotland as part of the national transfer programme where he was offered the support of Guardianship Scotland, a statutory service offering unaccompanied children support while navigating the asylum process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said: \u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>By then, my mental health was really bad. I was so stressed, depressed, full of anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had my brother but couldn’t live with him because his flat was too small. I was taking anti-depressants and seeing a psychiatrist. The doctor said I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But my guardian was always checking on me, all the time. Was I eating? Drinking? Sleeping? How was I feeling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She was there for me and on my side. Such a kind, kind person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Guardians have been my angels, my guardian angels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>On March 4, 2021, Ibrahim heard his refugee status had been confirmed, allowing him to live and work in Scotland. Even better, a little over two years later, in a rare decision after a long application process, his mother and father were allowed to come to Scotland to be reunited with their son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, looking back at his journey to safety, he hails the expertise and support of his immigration lawyer and Guardianship Scotland for helping him secure his family’s future free from fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Studying English at college, he hopes to work in cyber security and begin repaying the country that has offered him a safe haven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>He said:\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>I will study and study. Cyber security is one of the most important jobs, a job that would help people here, the way they have helped me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My life is in Scotland and my future. Scotland supported me and I want to support Scotland, to say thank you to Scotland. I needed Scotland and one day, I hope, I will have skills that Scotland needs.  \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s all I want now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>This article was written for The Sunday Post and published on Sunday 31st August 2025.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>*Stock photo used.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>","2025-08-31T00:00:00.000000Z","Ibrahim, an unaccompanied asylum seeking child, shares the support he has received from Aberlour Children's Charity's Guardianship Scotland service, in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council.","media\u002FiStock-2148694425.jpg","2025-08-28T10:45:06.000000Z","2025-09-01T09:41:30.000000Z",{"id":29,"blog_author_id":5,"blog_category_id":6,"is_featured":7,"title":30,"slug":31,"content":32,"content_overview":11,"published_at":33,"seo_title":30,"seo_description":34,"image":35,"created_at":36,"updated_at":37},"01k3rc4h9cdzpchzepa0tzzncy","Blog: We must end school meal debt and hidden hunger in school for good","blog-we-must-end-school-meal-debt-and-hidden-hunger-in-school-for-good","\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">This year Aberlour Children’s Charity celebrates its 150th anniversary.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">In 1875, when Aberlour was established as an orphanage in Moray in the north east of Scotland, our primary purpose included feeding hungry bairns.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">It saddens me to see that a century and a half later we are still in the business of feeding hungry bairns.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">In recent years, Aberlour has campaigned alongside the Scottish Sun to see an end to school meal debt.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">However, despite government action to tackle it, school meal debt continues to be a burden on low income families and their children across Scotland.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">We welcomed the introduction of the School Meal Debt Fund by the Scottish Government to write off the debts of struggling families over the last two years.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Alongside this we have also welcomed the extension of free school meal eligibility to all primary school aged children whose families receive the Scottish Child Payment.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">So then why are we still seeing the presence of school meal debt creating further financial strain on low income families across the country?\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">New figures show that since the School Meal Debt Fund helped cancel out nearly £3 million of school meal debt last year, that debt has accumulated again to more than £800k.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">What this shows is piecemeal and limited short term actions won’t solve the problem.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">We need a real commitment to long term action by making the School Meal Debt Fund permanent until it is no longer needed.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">To prevent school meal debt in the first place means increasing free school meal eligibility to all low-income families receiving the Scottish Child Payment.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">We know that too many families who are barely able to keep their heads above water are still struggling to feed their children at home, let alone at school.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">We continue to see school meal debt building up amongst many families being pulled under by the cost of living.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">School meal debt is a symptom of families simply not having enough money to provide for themselves.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">That school meal debt even exists should shame us as a society. \u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Children have a right to healthy and nutritious food and government must uphold that right by making sure no child goes hungry.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Government must put in place the necessary measures to prevent school meal debt in the first place.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">By providing free school meals for all low income working families and their children – in both primary and secondary school – government can prevent school meal debt and tackle hidden school hunger.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">But government must also make sure families have the means to provide for themselves by coordinated and targeted support for those most families most in need.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">At the same time, it must create sustainable routes out of poverty for those families where there are none.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">But this is not just an issue for the current Scottish Government.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Next year there will be elections to the Scottish Parliament and we will have a new government, perhaps made up of more than one political party.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">The next Scottish Parliament must be the parliament where we prioritise ending child poverty above all else.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Scotland must move from managing poverty to preventing it.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">At Aberlour, our children, young people and families are clear that they want our politicians to prioritise ending poverty. \u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">One of the first and most immediate actions government can take to help struggling families facing financial hardship is to end school meal debt.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Therefore, we need to see cross party support to achieve this.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">That is why at Aberlour we urging people to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aberlour.org.uk\u002F150\u002Fdream\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">write to their MSP\u003C\u002Fa> to support our campaign to see an end to school meal debt.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">We all must do what we can to make Scotland a country where no child ever goes hungry and no child is burdened with debt ever again.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">That must also mean that those with influence and power to make the changes needed must step up and take the steps necessary to make that happen.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">In this significant year for Aberlour it is important we look back over the past 150 years to see how life has changed for Scotland’s children.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">I ask myself have things got better?\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">When I see children going hungry at home and in school in 2025 I think the answer to that question is no – not for our most disadvantaged children. \u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">At Aberlour our message is loud and clear.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">Scotland must no longer be a country where our bairns go hungry.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">So let’s end school meal debt and hidden school hunger for good.\u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\"> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cstrong>\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">SallyAnn Kelly OBE\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">CEO of Aberlour Children's Charity\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 115%;\">\u003Cem>\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif;\">This article was written for The Scottish Sun and published on 2nd September 2025.\u003C\u002Fspan>\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>","2025-09-02T00:00:00.000000Z","Aberlour CEO, SallyAnn Kelly OBE, shares in her latest blog the shocking fact that since the introduction of the school meal debt fund £800,000 in debt has still be accumulated. We must be a country where no child goes hungry. Let's end school meal debt.","media\u002FSallyAnn-Final-scaled-serious.jpg","2025-08-28T12:58:40.000000Z","2025-09-02T09:32:45.000000Z",{"id":39,"blog_author_id":40,"blog_category_id":41,"is_featured":7,"title":42,"slug":43,"content":44,"content_overview":11,"published_at":45,"seo_title":46,"seo_description":47,"image":48,"created_at":49,"updated_at":50},"01k38mkcxh350thnxadzfpcapf","9cdbdd25-1564-45ec-84de-602c5009ebe1","01j303dx3cjt8w60w789nzk3vr","Johnny, our frontline youth worker warns of a lost generation of young Scots ","frontline-youth-worker-warns-of-a-lost-generation-of-young-scots","\u003Cp>Our veteran youth worker has urged greater support for Scotland’s children as he stands down after three decades on the frontline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny Hendry, who has been working with youngsters in Govan for more than 30 years, called for urgent action to ease the damage inflicted by the pandemic on the lives of many young people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He retired from Aberlour Children’s Charity yesterday and said he is stepping back with mixed emotions after years of austerity undermined funding for life-changing youth services. Johnny said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp> I’ve been the luckiest man in Govan to have worked with so many brilliant young people but it’s no easier for them now than it was when I started. In many ways, it’s harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lockdowns have affected young people in ways that we haven’t even measured yet never mind addressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is a whole generation that lost so much during those years, whether socialising or education, and they need to be our number one priority. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sacrificed a huge amount and we should be making that up to them. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The epidemic of mental health problems, stress, anxiety, depression, affecting young people, for example, is already clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are children being left behind right now, who are disengaging right now, and they need more help and support not less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Johnny ran a popular youth club in Govan for years, as part of Aberlour's Youthpoint Glasgow Service, and said it was a safe haven for young people whose home life might have been affected by social issues like poverty, substance use, or domestic abuse. He said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Just knowing we’re there for them can make all the difference in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We built relationships with young people that lasted long after they left the club. It is about building trust and relationships but also consistency about being there, year after year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Johnny hails the people of Govan for their strength and spirit and says their communities deserve greater backing. He said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>There are social issues here like elsewhere but protecting young people from the impact of those issues has to be the priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why can’t there be a hub for youth services in Govan, for example?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One place, pulling everything together, where young people know they can come for help or advice or just a game of pool and some company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That should not be impossible but funding is so difficult. We cut this and cut that but every pound spent on improving the lives and chances of young people is a pound invested in our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We get that investment back ten times over when they grow up healthy and happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Johnny said their importance cannot be overestimated for providing a destination away from drink, drugs, and crime while also building a crucial support network for young people seeking a new direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Johnny said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>The actual activities are only the tip of the iceberg. It might be the reason young people come but not the reason they stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clubs are a meeting place, a support network. It is not easy to build trust with young people. It is hard work but the rewards are immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To help a young person gain confidence, to find something at school that engages them, to get a job, start a family? There is nothing more rewarding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping one child find a foothold in life is enough in itself but the real challenge is to cement that, to make sure their children get the same chances and their children’s children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is all I have tried to do and I can’t think of a more important job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Aberlour paid tribute to the veteran youth worker as he retires and said he has helped change the lives of countless young Glaswegians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maxine Hawthorn, assistant director, said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>Johnny leaves an amazing legacy in Govan. He will be missed by Aberlour but just as missed in the communities where he helped so many young people for so many years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tireless support, emotional and practical, helped many of them find a foothold and forge a secure future that, without him, would not have been possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>","2025-08-22T00:00:00.000000Z","Frontline youth worker warns of a lost generation of young Scots ","A veteran youth worker has urged greater support for Scotland’s children as he stands down after three decades on the frontline.","media\u002FJohnny Hendry.jpg","2025-08-22T10:18:45.000000Z","2025-08-22T10:23:34.000000Z"]