Vintage Vibes strengthens Board as it celebrates independence and a decade of impact
We are delighted to welcome Rory Mair CBE, Michelle Robb, Rachel Craig and Rebekah Ballantyne to our Board of Trustees.
Press Release: 09/09/2025
Vintage Vibes strengthens Board as it celebrates independence and a decade of impact
In a sector facing unprecedented pressures, Vintage Vibes is a small but impactful Edinburgh charity proving that creative, community-rooted approaches can make a lasting difference.
For nearly a decade, Vintage Vibes has worked tirelessly to tackle an epidemic in Scotland’s capital: chronic loneliness in older people. On 1st April 2025, Vintage Vibes became an independent charity, with the full support of its founding parent charities LifeCare and Space @ Broomhouse Hub.
Now, as they prepare to mark their 10th anniversary this October on International Older People’s Day, Vintage Vibes has brought in new trustees and seasoned Chair to help it take bold steps into the future.
The board of trustees welcomes public sector stalwart Rory Mair CBE (Formerly Chair of Citizens Advice Scotland and Chief Executive of COSLA), joining as Chair, alongside Rachel Craig (Scottish Government), Michelle Robb (Risk Specialist and Vintage Vibes volunteer), and Rebekah Ballantyne (Age Scotland and Vintage Vibes volunteer). They are join existing trustees Elaine Aitken (former City Councillor), Alex Hadden (Head of Finance, V&A Dundee), and Emma Pellegrini (Head of Digital, Myeloma UK).
A grassroots project with serious impact
Since 2015, Vintage Vibes small team has supported over 40,000 hours of friendship across the city, creating more than 1750 lasting intergenerational friendships for isolated older people (VIPs). Behind those numbers are powerful stories of hope and resilience, of local people rediscovering confidence, laughter, and belonging, and of friendships lasting 5, 6, 7, 8, even 9 years week on week.
“Vintage Vibes has made a huge impact on my wellbeing and mental health – it’s given me more confidence and brought me out of myself. I look forward to seeing Jenny every week. So glad I found Vintage Vibes.” Lynne, VIP
Vintage Vibes has built its impact not on luck, but on a constant culture of learning, and creativity – embracing “brutal feedback” and engaging its community members at every step. Its culture of openness and experimentation has attracted national recognition: winner of the Generations Working Together Excellence in Evaluating Impact Award 2024 and highly commended by Age Scotland in 2025 for Campaigning and Influence, celebrating its VIP Voices advocacy committee. This group of older people has carried their lived experience all the way to a meeting with the First Minister of Scotland and The Minister of Equalities, as well as a number of organisations to help improve their inclusivity surrounding over 60s.
The organisation is proudly grassroots but nationally connected, as part of the AGIL Strategic Group, it contributes to conversations across Scotland on how to tackle isolation collectively and regularly contributes to sector wide discussions to share its learnings openly. With the development of the Board of Trustees it is hoped that their position and impact both within their home city and nationally will only grow from strength to strength.
What people are saying
“Vintage Vibes is an example of absolutely joyful project. It brings happiness and connection within communities.” First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney
“Being involved in VIP Voices make me feel my input is important and I feel heard” Shelia, VIP
From Our New Trustees:
Rory Mair CBE, Chair, said:
“Vintage Vibes does fantastic work, and I am excited and honoured to be joining a team that’s proven its vision and commitment to care for others. As Chair I hope to use my skills and experience to help achieve even better outcomes.”
Rachel Craig, Trustee, said:
“I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the incredibly welcoming and inclusive recruitment process. From the thoughtfully designed materials to the engaging conversations with the panel, every aspect reinforced the warmth and openness that Vintage Vibes embodies.”
Rebekah Ballantyne, Trustee, said:
“I am excited to join Vintage Vibes as a Board Member because I know I will learn a lot, while supporting a fantastic local charity whose work focuses on a cause close to my heart.”
Michelle Robb, Trustee, brings both professional expertise in risk and lived experience of Vintage Vibes’ model, helping to ensure governance reflects the voices of volunteers and older people, she says “Vintages Vibes is a charity I have volunteered with since March 2022 and have first hand experience of the value offered to those we befriend. The difference that can be made to one of the VIPs lives (and the volunteers!) is incredible. Simple gestures and interactions can give a VIP the motivation to look forward to the next week.”
Georgia Artus, Director:
“We are delighted to welcome Rory, Rachel, Michelle and Rebekah to our Board of Trustees. Vintage Vibes has been through an exciting journey of transformation and our trustees have been at the heart of this. Their combined experience and passion will help us seize this moment, respond to the urgent need we’re seeing, and ensure we can keep building real, lasting friendships that transform lives.”
In October, on 1st October International Older People’s Day, Vintage Vibes will be celebrating 10 years of preventing and tackling loneliness by launching a new campaign ‘Ten Years Bold’, aiming to tackle stigma surrounding ageing and showcase stories of empowered community members.
Notes to Editors
About Vintage Vibes
Vintage Vibes is a pioneering Edinburgh charity, launched in 2015, which creates one-to-one friendships between volunteers of all ages and isolated older people (VIPs) based on shared interests, as well as offering groups, outings and events across the city. In April 2025, it became an independent charity after nine successful years as a partnership project of LifeCare and Space @ Broomhouse Hub. Vintage Vibes is nationally recognised for its innovative, person-centred approach to tackling loneliness, celebrating individuality, and building meaningful community connections.
The need for their work is growing at a pace no one can ignore. Referrers including GPs, social workers, community link workers and hospital teams have said that they could refer as many as 2,000 isolated older people right now, within days if Vintage Vibes opened city-wide (the organisation currently accepts referrals based on volunteer recruitment intake).
This stark statistic shows the reality: the loneliness epidemic is real, and it is urgent, with older people in Edinburgh facing the closure of a number of invaluable services within the past 18 months. Yet Vintage Vibes’ model is also proof that grassroots friendship can prevent isolation from becoming crisis: strengthening health, supporting self-management, increasing mental wellbeing, and building long term community resilience.
It is estimated that over 50% of those referred to Vintage Vibes would require crisis/residential care within 6 months if it was not for becoming part of Vintage Vibes. Many over 60s referred have experienced bereavement, loss of mobility, sudden or ongoing poverty, are from minority groups within their community, or are living with dementia, a disability, sight or hearing loss, or mental health challenges. The organisation’s recent evaluation shows; 89% of VIPs said that being involved in Vintage Vibes made them feel less isolated, 86% felt happier and 75% feel their mental health is better.
“The fact that our referrers have identified 2,000 older people who could benefit from Vintage Vibes in Edinburgh alone right now is sobering. It shows how serious isolation has become, but also how much potential there is for change. We know our approach works, hundreds of lasting friendships across every postcode in the city, lives transformed, improved health and mental health outcomes, increased numbers of people not only living but thriving independently, significant positive impacts for volunteers as well as VIPs, and national recognition of our model. We are ready to do more. We are asking funders and partners to join us, to invest in an approach that is embedded in communities, fresh-thinking, and feisty, but has a strong, considered foundation and is proven to make a lasting and fundamental difference. With the right backing, we can not only meet this moment of need but help set Scotland on a course where no older person has to feel alone. The next few years are not going to be easy, but we know what a sustainable, cost effective and transformation change can be made.” Georgia Artus, Director
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For press enquiries, please contact:
Georgia Artus
0131 343 0955
Photography:
Vintage Vibes has a large store of high-resolution photographs and videos of our community members and activities. Photos of all Vintage Vibes Trustees are available.