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FAY, <\/strong>89, South Edinburgh<\/p>\n Fay, originally from Dunfermline, has always been interested in clothes, loves \u2018a good who dunnit\u2019, history and is a real foodie. She\u2019s a retired teacher with a cat who is now 17 years old! She has lived a varied and adventurous life, including being a companion to a Saudi Arabian Princess for 6 weeks when she was 40 \u201cI didn\u2019t enjoy it, but got some interesting food.\u201d<\/p>\n Through Vintage Vibes, Fay has rediscovered her bold side. \u201cOld age is not for wimps\u201d says Fay \u201c[Through Vintage Vibes] I\u2019ve made a lovely friend. I see her every week, she\u2019s a retired teacher, we occasionally go out for a meal or a coffee together.\u201d Fay talks about how she is at the stage where she doesn\u2019t think of her volunteer as part of Vintage Vibes, they are true friends, \u201cLynda is so lovely\u201d.<\/p>\n What does bold mean to Fay? Pushing yourself \u201cI really wasn\u2019t feeling well today and I though \u2018hmmmm\u2019 and I\u2019m so glad I came!\u201d<\/p>\n GEORGE<\/strong>, 82 \u201cand 11 months\u201d, Silverknowes<\/p>\n George, born in Leith, is a member of Vintage Vibes Vocal Vibes Singing Group, which he joined shortly after his wife died. It has given him a great sense of community, friendship and confidence since.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSinging is a great thing because it gave me confidence. As a boy I was uncomfortably shy, as I grow older I\u2019ve become more confidence. Vocal Vibes always seem to be happy to see me, so that makes me feel good. It\u2019s community and friendship\u201d.<\/p>\n NORMA<\/strong>, 89, (\u201cActually 23\u201d), Craiglockhart<\/p>\n Norma is in a Vintage Vibes friendship and a member of the Vintage Vibes Film Group and an active member of Armchair Adventures, a digital Vintage Vibes group to help those who are temporarily or permanently housebound to explore Edinburgh through regular Zoom tours of Edinburgh sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n She previously was a teacher, and taught at the old Victoria Primary, now Heart of Newhaven where Vintage Vibes is based.<\/p>\n Her confidence has increased so much as part of being in Vintage Vibes that alongside having a friendship volunteer she is now also a volunteer herself and phones someone every week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Norma\u2019s Friendship volunteer Sarah said Sarah said \u201cNorma is just wonderful; I\u2019m so enjoying her company.\u201d<\/p>\n PAT<\/strong>, North Edinburgh<\/p>\n Pat has been involved with Vintage Vibes since 2022, when she was matched with her Vintage Vibes friend Karen. When they met Pat was very low and lacking in confidence. She had previously had an active life but experienced a significant injury and the loss of four friends in quick succession and does not have any family nearby. When she joined Vintage Vibes she was \u201cstuck indoors\u201d a lot and felt \u201clocked in\u201d, and Vintage Vibes has been an \u201cabsolute lifesaver\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat talks regularly about the opportunities Vintage Vibes has brought her, both as part of her friendship with Karen and also part of the Film Group, Theatre Group and VIP Voices \u2013 where she recently met with the First Minister of Scotland John Swinney.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI now have a social life \u2013 Everything sort of crashed down and became very insular. With Karen and Vintage Vibes coming along it\u2019s wonderful. Wonderful. \u2013 I consider Karen a second daughter\u201d<\/p>\n Initially Karen would send a wee text to arrange going round and they would sit and chat, occasionally outside, and then one day Karen suggested going out in the car so they went out to Lauriston Castle and then also out to Saughton Gardens. Both heavily those trips heavily featured ice cream! Now they adventure everywhere, and Pat has increased in confidence enough to explore independently as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n Karen, Volunteer says, \u201cReally what I value most is that I\u2019ve got a new friend, which is what Pat is.\u00a0 We don\u2019t just chat for one hour a week, we keep in touch at other times too, send each other pictures etc. I really enjoy getting to know Pat and hearing about her life and spending time together. It\u2019s really great to just relax and get to chat. It\u2019s been a great opportunity that I wouldn\u2019t have had any other way. Thank you Vintage Vibes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Pat concludes: \u201cLife radically changed. I was no longer completely alone. I had contact with Karen, had contact with the groups when I wanted to go. During the Festival we did things as well.\u00a0 It\u2019s opened a lot of doors. My favourite group is the one where I can talk a lot, which is VIP Voices\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n ROBIN<\/strong>, 94, South Edinburgh<\/p>\n Robin has been part of friendship matches with Vintage Vibes and is an active member of our VIP Voices Committee \u2013 having been involved since it\u2019s inception at the Scottish Parliament.<\/p>\n As part of VIP Voices Robin has advocated for the needs of older people within Edinburgh including meeting with the Minister for Equalities and representatives of local organisations \u2013 their next meeting is to discuss over 60s experiences with Lothian Buses.<\/p>\n SHEILA<\/strong>, 86, Fountainbridge<\/p>\n Shelia describes her life as \u201cI had a pretty tough life but I\u2019m very proud of myself \u2013 it was hard, but I did it. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVintage Vibes is a fabulous charity, it really is. It\u2019s very difficult to adjust as you age and that\u2019s why we need places like Vintage Vibes, to help adjust. It\u2019s an amazing charity, it really can\u2019t say enough about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely love my volunteer Kat, she\u2019s a singer and she\u2019s in a band \u2013 and I\u2019ve been to see her and her husband play. They are lovely, and it\u2019s just so nice, and we chat and chat. We have a good old blether, we get on so well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am so different to how I used to be. Vintage Vibes have empowered me, just to do things and I just love it. That\u2019s my interpretation of being bold \u2013 I now put myself forward for anything they are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery 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\u2019t have much in my life at all, you feel \u2018is 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\u2019t feel my age at all, I\u2019m 86 and I don\u2019t feel my age. I fractured my back, I use my walker, but I just don\u2019t feel old anymore, because I\u2019ve got purpose and I\u2019ve got a voice with Vintage Vibes. I can speak up \u2013 I love it, I do love it so much. I wish I\u2019d been younger when I joined Vintage Vibes, but I joined at the time when I needed it. I\u2019ve got energy now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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