Scotland's Home of the Year judge Kate Spiers' unrecognisable before and after kitchen renovation

debts of £21,000 in just one year. Joe and Linda Ashby were thrilled to win a week's stay at a plush resort in 2008 - but still owe £9,000 to Seasons Holidays, with no prospect of being able to retire.

smashed outside her home at the weekend. Karen Laidlaw woke on Sunday morning to find that her car, as well as her partners, had been targeted by vandals.

attacking his wife has been hit with a tougher sentence after a campaign for justice by his victim.Keida MacKenzie said she hopes the appeal victory against ex John Donnelly will give other victims strength to challenge unduly lenient sentences for abusers.She said: “I need people out there suffering domestic abuse to know there is hope.

puppy farmers who dropped her off lifeless on the doorstep of a Scots family. Little Skye was advertised for sale in Glasgow on Gumtree for £1000 and was bought by a family in Rutherglen.Mum Carolann Thomas, said the seller dropped the puppy off at their house on February 27 and everything seemed fine until they took Skye inside.She noticed immediately that the puppy was extremely underweight and could barely walk. Carolann said her paws and tail were covered in dog poo and urine burns.She told

cooking shows on TV is set to return to our screens this month.

Kate Forbes confirmed the freeze would be nationwide today and hailed it as a welcome move in the country's recovery from the pandemic.As part of the 2021-22 Holyrood Budget town hall chiefs were offered £90 million – the equivalent of around a 3% council tax increase – on top of the local government settlement to compensate councils who agreed to the tax freeze.It was part of a wider £11.6 billion funding package from the Scottish Government that will be distributed to local authorities over

Shetland today after a "live" explosive device was found in its garden.The device was one of two suspected pieces of ordnance discovered on Sunday, March 7.The coastguard locked down the area in Sandside Mossbank until the arrival of the Royal Navy Bomb Disposal this morning.Once at the scene, they discovered a 25lb 'live' Anti Tank projectile which was removed from the property's garden and safely destroyed in a controlled explosion.The second device turned out to be a gas cylinder which did

Kate Forbes revealed today she had struck an agreement with Green MSPs - meaning her Budget bill will pass when it goes to a vote on Tuesday.The Budget offers an £800 pay rise for public sector workers earning up to £25,000, and a two per cent increase for those earning over £25,000 up to £40,000.It will also provide pandemic support payments of £130 to households receiving Council Tax Reduction and two payments of £100 to families of children qualifying for free school meals.Free bus travel

suicide attempts.Jenna Duffy, 17, was left with horrific injuries after her psychological illness sparked a string of episodes which saw her taken to A&E three times last week.Her family claim she has been failed by mental health services who sent her home from Monklands Hospital, Lanarkshire, told her she was not at risk and “chastised” her for going to hospital during a pandemic.Jenna, who has made dozens of attempts to take her life since the age of 15, said she doesn’t want her battle with

dementia and have been in a Glasgow care home for five-and-a-half years. After the clampdown on visits to stop the spread of coronavirus, Alison was finally able to hug her parents, both in their 80s, last Friday.

Police have launched a manhunt for thugs who attacked a Scots man in a house before torching a car outside.At around 9.25pm on Thursday, March 4, two men entered a property on Ettrick Street in Wishaw before seriously assaulted a 34-year-old.The pair then deliberately torched to a vehicle outside of the property in a wilful fire.The victim sustained serious injures and was taken to Wishaw General Hospital and the fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.Enquiries carried out

a watchdog.Denise Connor was working at Beechwood Care Home in Wishaw when she mistreated and abused a total of five vulnerable residents over the course of just one shift in May 2020.Her alarming behaviour was reported and saw her hauled in front of the Scottish Social Services Council who have now banned her from the profession.Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines

Aberdeen home last week reportedly lay undiscovered for years.We reported how cops launched a probe into an unexplained death after a woman's body was found at a property in Allison Close, Cove last Thursday.Her death is currently being treated us unexplained.An AGE Scotland spokesperson called the news "absolutely heartbreaking".Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: “This is an absolutely heartbreaking case that should act as a reminder to all of us that we have an important role

She started the year by shooting scenes for her Netflix film The Princess Switch 3 in Scotland.  But Vanessa Hudgens enjoyed a rare break from her busy schedule as she returned to Los Angeles on Monday morning.

coronavirus vaccine in Scotland. The most vulnerable groups - such as care home residents and pensioners - were among the first to receive the jab, which is seen as the key component behind the end to lockdown restrictions.Three vaccinations have been given the green light for use in Scotland after they were deemed safe by medicines’ regulatory officials late last year.

coronavirus case number in all local authority areas in Scotland has been published by health officials.Public Health Scotland said that in the week between February 15 and 21, Scotland recorded a total of 5,736 positive cases of Covid-19 - which represents 5.0% of people tested for the virus.Scotland’s seven-day positivity rate per 100,000 population in those seven days stood at 105.0, according to the latest data.Falkirk recorded the highest number of cases per 100,000 population during this

The Queen's cousin has been jailed for 10 months for a sexual assault which took place at the Queen Mother's home. Simon Bowes-Lyon, 34, has also been placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years after abusing his 26 year old victim at his ancestral home, Glamis Castle in Scotland, last February.

Crieff on Friday night, February 19, after the teenager had reportedly taken ill.He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene by cops.The Perthshire youth has been named locally as Matthew Taylor.Devastated mum Dee Taylor took to social media to thank well-wishers for the flood of messages of support she's received.She wrote on Facebook: "I would just like to thank everyone for the such kind words and to let anyone who doesn’t know already that my youngest son Matthew passed away last night."Sweet