Free radio training will be provided in Colonsay, Tiree and Coll next month thanks to resilience funding from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
Glasgow and Clyde RAYNET (The Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network) recently received over £16,000 from SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund to enhance radio communications across the Argyll and Bute islands during emergency events. The funding has been put to good use, providing 30 Very High Frequency (VHF) radio sets for local communities on Colonsay, Islay, Jura, Tiree and Coll.
Following successful training and deployment of radios in Islay and Jura in November last year, SSEN and RAYNET have now confirmed training dates for Colonsay, Coll and Tiree:
- Colonsay: Village Hall, Friday 6 March, 2pm - 4pm
- Tiree: An Talla, Saturday 21 March, 12pm - 2pm
- Coll: An Cridhe, Sunday 22 March, 2pm - 4pm
Samantha O'Connor, Regional Customer Relationship Manager at SSEN, said:
"We're pleased to support RAYNET through our Resilient Communities Fund, providing VHF radio sets to enable communications to continue without landlines or mobile phone coverage, all year round.
"These radios will be owned by the local community once the training sessions are complete, so I'd encourage anyone interested in joining us to come along, learn how to use the equipment and be part of the ongoing effort to build resilience across the islands for years to come."
Paul Lucas, Group Controller at Glasgow and Clyde RAYNET, added:
"After the successful deployment of VHF radios on Islay and Jura in November 2019, we are delighted to be working once again in partnership with SSEN. We're really looking forward to rolling out phase two of the project and bringing resilience communication support to the communities of Colonsay, Coll and Tiree in the coming weeks."
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