More than £360,000 has been given to community groups by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to look after one another during the pandemic.
An SSEN report detail how SSEN’s grants have helped 178 emergency projects across northern Scotland and central southern England during the pandemic, providing funding to a wide range of locally-based projects and initiatives. They include 91 projects providing food for those most vulnerable across local communities, 30 projects providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep people safe and 10 befriending services to support those in isolation.
When the national lockdown was announced on March 23, SSEN consulted groups, including the Scottish Government and British Red Cross, to establish how best its Resilient Communities Fund could add value to government and philanthropic responses to the coronavirus pandemic. SSEN’s experience and relationships with locally-elected bodies, including community and parish councils, were recognised as giving the network operator a strong position to support grassroot community responses. SSEN opened an emergency Resilient Communities Fund on March 31 to provide grants of up to £3,000 to community, town, parish and borough councils. Within seven weeks of the lockdown starting, SSEN made awards of £363,848 to 178 communities.
Lyndsey Stainton, Head of Stakeholder Engagement at SSEN, said:
“Reading through this year’s Resilient Communities Fund Annual Report, the number one thing that stood out is how local community groups have shown a real determination to look out for those who need extra help.
“From Orkney to the Isle of Wight, communities have rallied round and put their heads and hearts together to support those most vulnerable, so I’m pleased our repurposed Resilient Communities Fund has been able to deliver a quick and timely helping hand.”
Tisbury Parish Council reacted quickly to the pandemic and utilised their resilience plans to coordinate a Tisbury Neighbourhood Response. The work of the response team ensured the most vulnerable in the community were identified and supported throughout the lockdown. Funding from SSEN enabled 300 local volunteers to receive personal protective equipment to support safely. This included delivery of prescriptions, shopping orders, and carrying out emergency odd jobs for self-isolating residents.
Elizabeth Coyle-Camp, Tisbury Parish Councillor, said: “Many shielding elderly residents told us that without our volunteer group they would not have been able to cope during lockdown. Enormous thanks go to SSEN for funding vital help.”