“Now I don’t feel my age at all” / Vintage Vibes
6th November 2025
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Vintage Vibes is an award-winning charity tackling isolation and loneliness in Edinburgh. They create long-lasting one-to-one friendships offering support, companionship and the opportunity for over-60s experiencing loneliness to be more socially connected and active in their local community. This year, Vintage Vibes are celebrating their tenth anniversary with the Ten Years Bold campaign.
In this case study, Sheila shares how becoming one of Vintage Vibes’ VIPs has helped her to find purpose and enjoyment after years of feeling invisible.
I had a pretty tough life but I’m very proud of myself – it was hard, but I did it. I’m a strong, independent woman, but I can be quite soft too. Then I remember when I retired, and I was walking along Princes St, and I felt quite invisible, for quite a long while. I became very depressed. Then I started to blossom again when I got involved in Vintage Vibes.
Every day was depressing for me before Vintage Vibes, with nothing to look forward to, and nothing to look after. It was like there was nothing. I didn’t have much in my life at all. You feel, “Is that me just going to sit in my chair now for the rest of my days, let the world go by, watch the TV?” Now waking up, looking forward to things, I love getting ready, going to things.
Now I don’t feel my age at all. I’m 86 and I don’t feel my age. I fractured my back, I use my walker, but I just don’t feel old anymore, because I’ve got purpose and I’ve got a voice with Vintage Vibes. I can speak up – I love it, I do love it so much. I wish I’d been younger when I joined Vintage Vibes, but I joined at the time when I needed it. I’ve got energy now.
Vintage Vibes is a fabulous charity, it really is. It’s very difficult to adjust as you age and that’s why we need places like Vintage Vibes, to help adjust. It’s an amazing charity, I really can’t say enough about it.
I absolutely love my volunteer Kat, she’s a singer and she’s in a band – and I’ve been to see her and her husband play. They are lovely, and it’s just so nice, and we chat and chat. We have a good old blether, we get on so well.
I am so different to how I used to be. Vintage Vibes have empowered me, just to do things and I just love it. That’s my interpretation of being bold – I now put myself forward for anything they are doing.
This case study is part of Befriending Week (1 – 7 November), the annual campaign to raise awareness about befriending and celebrate social connection. Find out more on our Befriending Week microsite.