Storming reward for power hero

Holiday: Week-long Harris break for worker who helped restore island’s electricity

An electrical worker is packing his bags for a Western Isles summer holiday – thanks to an extraordinary act of kindness from a resident he helped during a winter storm blackout.

The aptly named Annie Tempest lives and works in Harris and was one of tens of thousands who was left without electricity during wild weather in January.

She was so grateful to the men and women who worked through the storms to get the power back on that she offered up an amazing gift – a week-long break in her holiday cottage to an employee of Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD).

She said: “I was amazed that people were working outside throughout the awful storms and whipping winds in January just to restore the power to the people of Harris, and elsewhere across Scotland, where the power had been disrupted.

“I thought about those workers who might only ever get to know Harris as a place where the wind is constantly howling and the rain never stops lashing down. I wanted to show my gratitude to those who made it easier formeto live here when the weather was at its worst.”

The offer was so unusual that SSEPD had to check whether they could legally accept the gift – but they ultimately settled on picking one staff member at random from those who worked through the storms.

The lucky recipient was Ross Marquis, a charge hand based in Inverness. He said: “I actually thought it was a joke when I got the phone call.

“When I answer my work phone, I expect to be told about the details of a job, not a holiday cottage on Harris.

“I can’t get over Annie’s generosity and it really means a lot to me and my colleagues to know that what we do is appreciated. “During the storms in January, I was based in Gairloch and the surrounding areas for 10 days, repairing power lines and carrying out tree cutting works where trees had come down in the strong winds and damaged the power lines.”

Mr Marquis will stay at the cottage with his partner Natalie and dogs Jesse and Coullie.

The severe weather in January saw four days of winds reaching more than 100mph, coupled with blizzards, lightning and ice in large parts of the Highlands.

SSEPD ultimately had to restore electricity to more than 120,000 customers.

Annie Tempest