Over the past few years, Almond and HomeAid have worked together on a variety of initiatives, including supporting tenants with household essentials.

Getting the keys to a new property is often an exciting time, but furnishing the home comes at an additional cost. HomeAid has supported Almond with items for its Home Starter Packs. These packs are handed out to new tenants in need to get them started in their new home. Items such as duvets, duvet covers and curtains have been provided through this partnership.

The new store in Craigshill offers a variety of second-hand furniture and white goods, as well as thrift shop items. This will give residents an opportunity to purchase high quality goods at reasonable prices.

John Davidson, Almond chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have the HomeAid team in the building. We have been working on this project behind the scenes for a few years and it’s great to see it come to life.

“Having relocated our team to the first floor of the building after Covid, we were keen to utilise the vacant space on the ground floor for the benefit of the community. The opening of the HomeAid store is positive and builds on the previous changes made to our reception area, now known as The Big Living Room, which is open to local groups and hosts ongoing events and classes.”

As well as providing high quality products, HomeAid is also helping to reduce waste by repurposing furniture from Almond’s void properties. 

Willie Dunn, HomeAid chief executive, added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Almond Housing on our new store in Craigshill.

“We have a range of preloved clothes and furniture at affordable prices for everyone in West Lothian. We also offer a layaway scheme that allows customers to pay for larger items over a period of time, interest free and at no extra cost. This is a free service open to all.”

The HomeAid store in Craigshill is now open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm.