A mixture of onsite donations and a staff raffle has seen SSEN's tree-cutting engagement session raise £1,330 for Rachel House Children's Hospice.
Over 100 of SSEN's tree-cutters and contract partners recently gathered at Bonskeid, near Pitlochry for a two-day engagement event which included training and refresher sessions, as well as the chance to learn about new equipment directly from manufacturers who came along to the event.
SSEN's tree-cutting team works in small groups across the north of Scotland all year round to keep trees and vegetation away from the electricity network, so it's not often everyone is in the same place at the same time. As such, this engagement session where everyone got together, was the ideal opportunity for team members to raise funds for a deserving cause.
Joady MacRae, SSEN's Tree-cutting Performance Manager said that everyone on site was keen to help with the fundraising:
"Over the years we had heard about Rachel House and the amazing work done by their staff, so when our team was discussing having a raffle, it was the most popular choice amongst everyone to receive the proceeds from the tickets. The items in the raffle were all donated by our suppliers who were on site, which was very much appreciated. With SSEN's 'Matched Funding' scheme, everything we raised over the two-day event has been doubled, which means we now have £1,330 to hand over to Rachel House.
"When we went to Rachel House, Angharad from CHAS was kind enough to give us a tour and show us some of the fantastic facilities and projects that the money will go towards."
Angharad Low, Corporate Partnerships Manager at CHAS said:
"It was fantastic to welcome Joady and the team to Rachel House and show them the incredible impact their support will have on the children and families we support there. We know there are so many families out there we are yet to reach who desperately need our help. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this gift for helping us support more families!"