There is a meaningful place for you here
Vesta is a community organisation in the fullest sense — we are sustained by people who care about the older residents of this stretch of the Moray coast and want to do something practical about the isolation that geography imposes on them.
Every contribution travels a long way
Whether you have professional health experience to offer, a car and a few reliable hours each week, or simply want to support the work financially, there is a meaningful place for you here. Every contribution, large or small, directly extends our reach into the rural settlements where it matters most.
Because we keep our overheads lean and our structure deliberately simple, the money and time our supporters give us goes a very long way. A donation that might feel modest funds the mileage for a full visiting day across six households in the Cawdor area. A few hours each month from a committed volunteer can become years of consistent, trusted contact for a dozen people who might otherwise go weeks without a meaningful conversation.
If you are an older person or family member wanting to know if we visit your area — please get in touch. If we do not yet cover your settlement and there is sufficient demand, we want to know about it. Our patch has grown before because someone asked.
Get in touch today
Three ways to make a difference
Volunteer as an Advocate
We are always looking for warm, reliable people who would like to train as Vesta health advocates and take on a regular visiting patch in the Nairn hinterland. Full accredited training, ongoing supervision, and mileage expenses are provided — what you bring is the commitment to show up, consistently, for the people on your route.
Apply to volunteerDonate
Your donation funds the training, materials, mileage, and coordination that make every doorstep visit possible. A gift of any size contributes directly to the cost of reaching older people in remote settlements who have no other reliable source of health information and welfare contact — and because we keep our overheads lean, your money travels a long way.
Make a donationPartner or Fund
We welcome partnerships with businesses, GP practices, community organisations, and statutory agencies who share our commitment to rural health equity on the Moray coast. Whether through a funding relationship, a referral protocol, or in-kind support such as printing or venue use, partnership with Vesta connects you to the communities we serve and to the measurable difference that outreach makes.
Explore partnershipWhat being an advocate involves
You do not need clinical qualifications
Our advocates come from all walks of life — retired nurses and community workers, yes, but also people who have simply spent their lives being a good neighbour, and want to do that in a more structured and supported way. What matters is reliability, warmth, and a genuine interest in the wellbeing of older people.
Before your first visit, you will complete accredited health-literacy and safeguarding training delivered by experienced tutors. You will be matched with a defined patch — a group of settlements in the Nairn hinterland — and supported by a lead advocate and monthly group reflection sessions with your fellow volunteers.
Mileage expenses are paid. We will never ask you to take on more than your circumstances allow. And we will support you well — because we know that advocates who feel valued and connected do the best work for the people on their route.
Read a volunteer's storyCould Vesta visit your area?
If you are an older person, a family member, or a professional working in a rural community on the Moray coast and you think there may be residents who would benefit from our visits — please contact us. We want to hear from you. Our patch has expanded before because someone raised their hand and said their community was being missed. It can happen again.
Tell us about your area