Share of £28K to weather the storm
Grants for local groups
Two Strath communities have benefited from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ ( SSEN) resilience fund to help them prepare for severe winter storms and become more robust in emergency situations.
Seven groups in Perth and Kinross shared more than £28,000 from the fund, including Friends of Aytoun Hall in Auchterarder, which received £ 2,500 to fit an emergency generator throw over switch.
Aberuthven Village Trust was given £ 2,500 to provide a generator change over switch for its local village hall.
The SSEN Resilient Communities Fund is supporting community groups across its network area in the north of Scotland with awards of up to £20,000 for projects that will protect the welfare of those most vulnerable, enhance community facilities or improve communication during an emergency weather event.
Initially a two- year pilot, SSEN has pledged to extend the fund to 2023 using a proportion of the income it receives from the industry regulator Ofgem in relation to its stakeholder engagement performance.
Based on 15/16 figures, this would allow funding in the region of £2m to be distributed to communityled groups and charities in the north of Scotland over the seven-year period.
Funding decisions are made by a panel of representatives from Energy Action Scotland, British Red Cross, the Scottish Government and SSEN.
In addition to the Resilient Communities Fund, SSEN has been working closely with local communities in the north of Scotland to help them create resilience plans for emergencies, including the potential disruption to power supplies during winter storms.
Graeme Stewart, head of regions at SSEN, said: “As an organisation, SSEN is committed to being ready for winter and we want to ensure the communities we serve are prepared too.
“There’s a great deal of community spirit in Perth and Kinross and it’s clear that people want to help each other during emergencies.
“This fund is designed to help our communities put their resilience plans into action, which will go a long way to ensuring people in their village, town or area remain safe and warm.
“We are delighted that this support will extend well into the next decade.
“Linking the fund to the performance reward we receive from the regulator creates a virtuous circle – the better we engage with our stakeholders, the greater financial support we can give our communities – and that’s to the benefit of everyone.”
SSEN’s R e s i l i e n t Communities Fund will re-open for applications in 2017.
To find out more about the fund, please visit the website: ssen. co. uk/ Resiliencefund/
If customers experience a power cut this winter, they should contact SSEN on the recently launched, free-to-dial number, 105.
To find out more about SSEN’s Priority Services Register, register themselves, family members or friends they should contact the dedicated team on 0800 294 3259 or visit ssen. co. uk/ PriorityServices/ for more details.