£1 million available to boost communities' resilience
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Groups across the north of Scotland are being urged to submit applications for a fund aimed at helping communities become more resilient in the face of severe weather events and prolonged power interruptions.
The latest round of the Resilient Communities Fund from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has a closing date of this Friday (May 13).
Following the severe storms which battered parts of the country last winter, SSEN has increased the total amount available in the north of Scotland in 2022 to £1 million.
Grants are generally available from £1000 up to £20,000. However, in exceptional cases, multi-year and multi-community funding up to a maximum of £50,000 will be considered.
The fund is looking to support projects that fall within two categories:
- Resilience for emergency events – to enhance community facilities, services and communication specifically to support the local response in the event of a significant emergency such as extended power loss.
- Vulnerability – to protect the welfare of vulnerable members of the community, particularly during significant emergency events such as extended power loss, through enhancing their resilience and improving community participation and effectiveness.
Groups supported in previous rounds include Wester Ross Radio, a charity serving the communities of Wester Ross as Two Lochs Radio and Lochbroom FM. It received £10,628 to improve the resilience of its local radio service during power cuts, weather events and other disruptions.
Highland Senior Citizens Network received £19,941 to improve the resilience of older people, while Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council in Aberdeen received £2930 to provide personal emergency equipment for the local resilience team.
The SSEN Resilient Communities Fund Panel will review applications and determine which projects should receive funding, with awards made this summer to those that are successful.
Mark Rough, SSEN’s director of customer operations (north), said: “The storms that battered the north of Scotland during the winter brought with them an unprecedented level of damage across our infrastructure. As our teams worked tirelessly to restore customers’ supplies, I was greatly impressed by the resilience shown by the communities whose power supplies had been impacted.
“The additional £500,000 contribution we have made to this year’s Resilient Communities Fund in the north of Scotland, increasing our total commitment to £1 million, is recognition of the important role community resilience has played in the recent storms.
"Since its inception in 2015, the fund has done a great deal to improve community resilience and we look forward to being able to support our communities even further through the additional funding available to applicants this year.”
More information about the Resilient Communities Fund can be found on the SSEN website.
