Noss Head switching station teams support Fishermen’s Mission and Caithness Foodbank
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The Fishermen’s Mission and Caithness Foodbank are the latest good causes to benefit from the generosity of teams involved in the Noss Head HVDC switching station project near Wick.
They donated £1000 to cover the cost of 19 Christmas hampers on behalf of the Fishermen’s Mission, which offers care and support to fishermen, active or retired, and their families. The hampers included special treats as well as cakes from local bakeries to help bring some festive joy to families that are supported by the charity.
A donation of £300 was made to Caithness Foodbank to help support its work and purchase emergency food and household items for families most in need at Christmas. A member of the Trussell Trust, Caithness Foodbank is part of a nationwide network of food banks working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
Workers from SSEN Transmission, principal contractor BAM Nuttall and subcontractors had earlier provided prizes for a raffle on site that raised £2000 for the Caithness FM Toy Appeal.
SSEN Transmission project manager David Williams said: “Supporting the community in which we work is really important to us, and what better way than to help out these three causes which do such incredible work in the community here in Caithness, particularly at this time of year.
“Caithness Foodbank is such a vital lifeline to families most in need, and we hope that our donation will help the food bank to provide some extra items and comforts to people who need it most.
“The local area has a large fishing community along with so many others affiliated to the sea, and the Fishermen’s Mission plays a huge role in providing care and support to many families in the Caithness area.
"We’re delighted to help bring some extra Christmas cheer by donating the cost of their Christmas hampers to families supported by the charity this year, and hope it helps bring a little extra festive joy after what has been a difficult year for so many.”
Jackie Dodds, port officer for the Fishermen’s Mission in Caithness, delivered the hampers to families with help from Santa Claus, played by local councillor Willie Mackay. The lucky recipients were selected randomly from the large number of people that have been supported in the past two years by Fishermen’s Mission in the county.
Jackie said: "We are very fortunate to have been offered funding by SSEN Transmission for a number of wonderful hampers to bring a little Christmas cheer.
"It has been lovely to be able to do something nice for people at this time of year. The hampers were very much appreciated and there were a lot of smiling faces while we were out delivering them.
"One of the items inside each hamper was a home-made cake baked by the community café in Thurso. Councillor Willie Mackay was fantastic as always as Santa and he certainly helped everyone we met get into the festive mood."
Pat Ramsay, trustee and volunteer at Caithness Foodbank, said: “We were delighted to accept the cheque from SSEN Transmission and BAM Nuttall. The money will be put to good use to help us stock up on needed items.
"We do run out of some essentials from time to time, so having money to go out and purchase things is a great support.
“The support we receive in our Caithness community is heart-warming and especially at Christmas time. There are many people in need in our community and they, too, are grateful."
The switching station is said to be making good progress, with teams recently completing the outer steelwork of the new structure. Once complete, the facility will serve as a key component in the proposed HVDC subsea cable from Shetland, connecting the islands to the main grid for the first time.
Subcontractors on the Noss Head development include Global Infrastructure, G&A Barnie, J D Pierce and VQC.
