Dorset skills for life charity SafeWise – a chamber member – is delighted to welcome Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN) as a new £10,000 Silver sponsor.
The partnership sees SSEN join forces with SafeWise – which has learning villages in Bournemouth and Weymouth – to raise awareness of child safety issues around electricity substations, associated power lines and roadworks.
Using Be the Difference days, which enables SSEN staff to take time away from their day jobs to volunteer with local charities and good causes, SSEN colleagues installed a decommissioned electricity substation and overhead power lines at SafeWise Weymouth in time for the centre’s Junior Safety Inspector family tours at the end of August.
Roadwork scenarios at both SafeWise learning villages are also set to follow.
SafeWise Chief Executive Rob Hattersley said: “We’re excited to welcome SSEN as a new silver SafeWise partner and would like to thank them for their support, which will help SafeWise charity continue its essential skills for life education.
“The new substation and power lines at SafeWise Weymouth is a fantastic new safety scenario for visitors to experience and learn from.”
SSEN experts will also help SafeWise develop content for new programmes for older people, home leavers, school children, families and other visitors.
The new partnership also aims to increase awareness of additional SSEN community services – including a Priority Services Register, free-call 105 emergency number and Power Track app that keeps customers fully up-to-date during power cuts while enabling them to report issues.
Stakeholder Engagement Manager for SSEN, Alison Dean said: “Through our sponsorship and newly installed Weymouth scenario, SSEN is delighted to be able to extend this partnership with SafeWise, which helps us to show a younger audience the potential dangers that power supplies can bring when not used responsibly or with proper care.
“Being able to use Be the Difference days to build the overhead power lines and substation from decommissioned equipment means that we can bring safety scenarios to life that might otherwise be difficult to envisage. Now, visitors to SafeWise can easily visualise what can happen when people fail to act safely.
“This newly installed display builds a greater understanding for younger visitors, and while they’re learning how to stay safe we’re able to speak to their parents or carers about how we can help with the additional free services we provide to help people of all ages feel less vulnerable during a power cut.”
SSEN distribution and transmission networks carry electricity to over 3.8 million homes and businesses across the north of the Central Belt of Scotland and also Central Southern England – for more information visit www.ssen.co.uk/WhoWeAre/
SSEN joins other key SafeWise partners including Dorset Police, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, Dorset NHS, councils and sponsors such as Strategic Solutions, Wessex Water, MSP Business Services, IT365 and others.
Go to www.safewise.org/partner to find out how to sponsor or get involved with SafeWise.
