Bute Elderly Befrienders provides a range of Befriending Services designed to improve quality of life, reduce isolation and loneliness and keep older people independent and active for as long as possible in the communities they helped create. Our services include 1-2-1 Befriending, Peer or Group Befriending, Dementia Support, Hospital Support and Information Outreach, involvement in community activites. Our services are made possible through the use of a wheelchair-accessible minibus.

Bute has one of the highest elderly populations in Scotland: Argyll and Bute has 25% of the population over 65 against 21% in Scotland as a whole, but in some parts of rural Bute this rises to 41% with a demographic profile showing that these figures are set to increase. Coupled with the rural geography of the region the result is that many older people are unable to socialise with others or access local services in the area.

Up to 40 older people from across all of Bute, including rural and remote rural communities, will use Bute Befrienders on at least one occasion each week. Evaluation of the project has demonstrated the clear benefits of befriending for older people, with clients reporting an average 102% increase in satisfaction with Social Relationships and a 93% increase in scores for overall Quality of Life. Scores also showed an average increase of 142% in clients' satisfaction with social networks.