Volunteers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' (SSEN) Wessex Region have spread their wings to make a difference at Bournemouth Aviation Museum.

The 12 volunteers, who work in a range of roles in SSEN's depots in Yeovil, Poole and the New Forest, spent the day at the museum as part of SSEN's 'Be the Difference' initiative, which gives every employee a day away from the workplace to help a local good cause or charity.

Bournemouth Aviation Museum is run by a fleet of approximately 100 volunteers and relies on its admission fees to cover running costs. Ahead of winter the museum needed its 180m fence creosoted, and so when the SSEN volunteers offered their services for the day, it came just at the right time.

Andy Jackson, who works as a Wayleave Officer in SSEN's Yeovil Depot, explains more about how he and his colleagues got involved:

"I used to live in Bournemouth and I knew how much the Aviation Museum relies on volunteers to keep it going, and so thought I'd ask them if SSEN's 'Be the Difference' could help. The museum is a great educational asset for the local community, as well as a popular tourist attraction, and so when they told us how they needed their fence creosoted, it was a great chance for my colleagues and I to lend a hand (or 24!)."

"'Be the Difference' is all about helping a local good cause, and when I mentioned my idea to colleagues in our regional depots, I was delighted to get so many positive replies. It was all hands to the pump to make sure the fence was looking good, and by way of a thank you the museum gave us a free tour of all the planes on our lunch break, which was not only really interesting, but also a lovely touch from the hosts."

On the day, the team spread out along the length of the fence and dedicated themselves to their own individual sections, and when the task was completed and everyone was helping to clear up all the empty paint tins, rollers and brushes, Andy calculated that the team had gone through 108 litres of wood preserve.

Derek Epps from Bournemouth Aviation Museum was delighted with the work, and said:

"We were really appreciative of the efforts and results of the day that the SSEN team spent at the museum. We are staffed entirely by volunteers and with over 20 aircraft exhibits on display, most of our time is spent working on keeping them in good condition for the public to visit. As a result, other tasks such as the infrastructure sometimes gets less attention, so assistance like this is really invaluable to the continued ability to keep the museum open all year round".

To learn more about 'Be the Difference', please visit: http://sse.com/communities/bethedifference/