Perthshire Advertiser

Charity cash awarded to local groups

- Rachel Clark

Two local charities have received a boost from a Perth-based business.

SSEN’s resilient communitie­s fund has awarded £18,746 to two local groups who are working on projects to help protect the most vulnerable in society, and enhance community facilities.

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), based at Perth Airport, received £8746 to purchase new equipment for their rapid response service to help those suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

And the Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland was awarded £10,000 to provide a peer service by building a volunteer base of people with blood borne viruses and empowering them to become community resilience champions.

Samantha O’Connor, customer relationsh­ip manager for SSEN’s south Caledonia region, said:“We recognise the valuable work that SCAA and the Terrence Higgins Trust contribute not just locally but nationally and I am pleased to be able to support both of these organisati­ons through our resilient communitie­s fund.”

Katie Wylie, trusts and legacies officer at SCAA, said:“SCAA is delighted to receive funding from SSEN to support the costs towards life-saving CPR equipment.

“This equipment will be used in our rapid response vehicle which responds to time-critical emergencie­s in rural communitie­s around our base in Scone.

“The funding allowed us to purchase equipment which will make a real difference to patients suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest.”

Terrence Higgins Trust is the longest establishe­d HIV and sexual health charity in the UK, working to support people with blood borne viruses to manage their condition.

Clive King, service and partnershi­ps manager at the trust, said:“We are delighted by SSEN’s generous funding of £10,000 to help us develop a peer plus project for people living with Hepatitis C and/or HIV across Tayside.

“We’re looking forward to recruiting and training a volunteer force of community resilience champions who have the skills and confidence to assist in community responses to extreme wether and other emergencie­s.”

SSEN’s resilient communitie­s fund will reopen for new applicatio­ns next year.

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