Residents of the remote village of Drimnin have transformed their Village Hall into an emergency response hub thanks to resilience funding from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
Drimnin Village Hall has now installed an automated external defibrillator (AED), back-up generator and is delivering First Aid training to improve the resilience of the local community in times of emergency, thanks to an award of £3,159 from SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund.
The Village Hall sits on the sound of Mull, looking across to Tobermory and is the centre for all community activities in Drimnin. With the nearest doctor's surgery at Lochaline, 11 miles away, the Village Hall Committee applied to the fund to increase the resilience of the rural, isolated community.
Gill Foulis of the Drimnin Village Hall Committee, said:
"We are happy that the SSEN Resilient Communities Fund has helped to support and enhance the welfare of all members of our remote community, particularly those who are vulnerable due to age, ill health or other issues, and in doing so enabling all residents of our village to remain part of our community."
"We have our AED in place and have already had an intensive, informative and enjoyable First Aid Course delivered by the First Aid Training Cooperative, which has given us more knowledge and confidence when it comes to managing any emergency incidents."
Graeme Stewart, Head of Region for SSEN, added:
"We are delighted to support the Drimnin Village Hall Committee with an award from our Resilient Communities Fund to provide a defibrillator, generator and support First Aid training for the local community."
"The fund is vital to help our communities better prepare for times of emergency, with some of the more remote and rural parts of our region proving difficult for emergency services to reach during challenging conditions. We are pleased our funding will go a long way to benefiting the local community all year round."
Drimnin's new defibrillator will aid village residents during emergencies until the Scottish Ambulance Service and local NHS services can attend. The generator will help members of the community support others by providing emergency power for heating, water and maintaining essential food stocks in the remote location. The generator will also help turn the Village Hall into a resilience centre by providing warm food, light, heat and methods of communication during power or communication outages in the area.
SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund for 2018 is now closed for applications. It is providing a total of £220,000 this year to projects in the north of Scotland, with decisions on the latest applications to be announced in September. The next round of funding will re-open in 2019, for more information, contact details and guidance on how to apply, please visit ssen.co.uk/resiliencefund.
First Aid Cooperative delivering a First Aid training course to members of the Driminin community, thanks to SSEN resilience funding.