Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is helping residents in Kincardine and Mearns improve their mental health following an award of £14,274 to local mental health charity, Pillar Kincardine, through SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund.
The funding will be used to help the Stonehaven based charity develop personal resilience and create wellness plans for its members. The small, independently-funded voluntary organisation supports people in and around Kincardine and the Mearns who are coping with serious emotional, social or mental health difficulties.
SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund looks to protect the welfare of vulnerable community members through enhancing their resilience and improving community participation and effectiveness, with grants of up to £20,000 available for community groups located in SSEN's electricity distribution network area in the north of Scotland.
Moira Hurry, Service Manager at Pillar Kincardine, comments on how the SSEN Resilient Communities Fund has helped the organisation:
"The timing of this initiative was perfect as we were in the midst of a difficult winter. We experienced a couple of storms in quick succession, including the notorious "Beast from the East" weather front. Pillar was able to help members consider ways to keep safe and cope with issues before they became a reality such as road closures, cancellations of appointments, difficulties fulfilling prescriptions and having adequate provisions at home. This has been especially important as a number of our members in particularly rural areas found themselves snowed in for up to 3 days."
"In preparation, we were able to meet with various groups of members, arrange talks and presentations from emergency and flood protection services and issue provisions along with emergency contact numbers and help individuals complete personal emergency support plans."
"Not only has SSEN funding helped Pillar to continue supporting people who are looking to improve their mental health and wellbeing, it has increased the range and type of support we can offer and strengthens our ongoing work around building resilient communities."
Shona Horn, Customer Relationship Manager at SSEN, said:
"We are delighted to be able to support organisations like Pillar Kincardine with grants from our Resilient Communities Fund. We work all year round to help communities build their resilience and raise awareness of our Priority Services Register for those who need a little extra support; but it is great to see our funding going a long way to helping organisations build their own community resilience and prepare their members for any difficult situations they may face, particularly in the winter months."
"For some, being without power or facing an emergency situation can be very stressful and hard to deal with. Pillar Kincardine works relentlessly to support people by developing emergency plans and enabling them to prepare in advance. We look forward to developing our ongoing relationship with the organisation and I'd encourage similar organisations to apply for the next round of the fund before the closing date."
Pillar Kincardine is open to all those looking to improve their mental health in the Kincardine and Mearns area. To date, Pillar has helped over 50 people to make emergency plans and continues to work to promote positive mental health in Scotland. For more information, please visit www.pillarkincardine.co.uk.
SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund is open to applications for communities located in the north of Scotland looking to improve their community resilience, with £220,000 available for non-profit making organisations, community groups and charities working in the area covered by SSEN's distribution and transmission networks in the north of Scotland. Applications must be submitted by the closing date of Tuesday 15 May. For details, visit www.ssen.co.uk/resiliencefund.