A CARING Inverclyde gran is helping offenders rebuild their lives and make a positive contribution to society.

Betty MacDonald has supported hundreds of people leaving prison by giving them the tools to start again.

The 57-year-old, who lives in Wemyss Bay, is a mentor for Wise Choices, a service run by The Wise Group with funding from the Big Lotter.

She works with male offenders over 25 in the last three months of their jail sentence and then for up to six months after they have been released.

Betty said: "To do this job you've got to care about what you do and care about people.

"It is a very demanding job as you are seeing people at their lowest but it's worthwhile if you see people moving on and changing their lives.

"That's the satisfaction you get, it's great."

Betty works with ex offenders to develop the skills they need to take control of their lives and challenge the barriers which contribute to their cycle of reoffending.

She said: "My role is not to get them into jobs, it's to get them job ready.

"During their last three months in prison I'll go and meet them and we draw up an action plan to see if they require support with mental health, addiction or housing."

Betty, who formerly worked as a trainer in the local Clairemont Electronics factory for 20 years, says there are many success stories but one stands out in particular.

She said: "Me and my colleague worked with one man who had lost both his parents and had turned to alcohol and drugs.

"One day he phoned the office to say he was in an awful state, so me and my colleague met him and took him to hospital.

"He was diagnosed as having drug-induced psychosis.

"When we went to visit him he said he knew he had to go to rehab.

"We took him to a place in Glasgow to get assessed and helped him get a place in a drug rehab.

"He's since recovered and is now a peer mentor, helping other people with similar problems.

"He's a big inspiration."

Betty, who is a mum of one and has three grandchildren, works closely with partnership organisations like the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and Turning Point.

Ashley Lennon of The Wise Group says Betty's work is invaluable.

She added: "People who have support in place in the form of a mentor are much, much less likely to reoffend simply because they have that support and they begin to see things to live for.

"Whether that's getting a stable home, working towards getting a job and beginning to feel a bit of hope.

"These are all deterrents to reoffending.

"If you don't have that in place and you're coming out of prison and leading a more chaotic lifestyle, you're more likely to re-offend."