About
The Skye Old Peoples Welfare Committee
The Skye Old Peoples Welfare Committee was established in 1954 with representatives from all over the island to promote and assist the general good of all older people in the area.
In the early days the committee’s efforts were principally geared towards setting up a residential care home. This, the Eventide Home, was established first at Toravaig in Sleat and then at Budhmor in Portree. The provision of home helps was also part of the committee’s work, and in due course they started a transport service with a car (A40) and then, in 1976, a minibus was purchased from this service.
The Skye Old Peoples Welfare Committee even undertook the delivery of coal where needed as well as taking pensioners shopping, for appointments, to lunch clubs and to church. The minibus went throughout Skye and Raasay, driven by volunteers from the outlying areas, and a car for Portree and Braes residents was available for local trips.
Minibuses were replaced every 5 or 6 years and, until 2004, the Isle of Skye Round Table were the main fundraisers. Thereafter the Skye Old Peoples Welfare Committee took over the task. The last bus was purchased in 2017 costing over £40,000. Sadly, its use declined over the years with outlying areas acquiring their own community buses and increased car ownership among pensioners. By 2024 only the north end of Skye was making regular use of the bus, so the decision was made to hand the bus over to a local trust who continue to provide the monthly shopping trip for pensioners.
The Budhmor Fund
The eventide home at Toravaig in Sleat was established in 1955 with finance from the Glasgow Skye Association and the Church of Scotland Committee of Social Services. Budhmor House was opened in 1971 at a total cost of £91,000 and was funded, in part, by the sale of Toravaig, along with a grant from Inverness County Council. The balance was made up by the Church of Scotland.
Some years ago, there was a pressing need to upgrade and refurbish Budhmor House and a considerable fund-raising effort was undertaken by the local community to help ensure that this happened. However, the funds raised were never used and Budhmor House was subsequently closed down by the then operators, Crossreach.
Given that it was already an established organisation, Skye Old Peoples Welfare Committee was approached to ensure that funds raised came back to the island. This has now happened, and a new group of voluntary trustees has been added to the committee to help administer the funds. The Budhmor Fund is now available for groups whose work benefits older people in Skye and Raasay. Voluntary groups working with older people can apply for a grant up to a maximum of £5000. While larger grants from the Budhmor Fund should ideally be used to attract matched funding those of up to £500 are free from this requirement. Applications from local lunch clubs run by volunteers are particularly welcome.