Partnership between electricity company and Highland sight charity to promote priority service
A new partnership between an electricity company and a sight charity is raising awareness of the free help and support that is available to blind and visually impaired people across the north of Scotland.
SSEN’s free Priority Services Register (PSR) provides help to those who need it most on the rare occasions there is a power cut – including those who are blind or partially sighted.
By teaming up with Highland Sight Action, which provides patient support and rehabilitation to blind and visually impaired adults and children across the Highlands and Western Isles, SSEN is hoping to make more people aware of the register and encourage them to sign up if they have not already done so.
Pamela Harvey, SSEN Distribution’s customer relationship manager, says the partnership is an important way of reaching out to customers who are perhaps not aware of the register.
“As customer relationship manager I’m always looking for ways to raise the profile of our PSR, as I want to make sure we can support as many eligible customers as possible," she said. "Working alongside Highland Sight Action means that, with its invaluable experience and links across the region, we can hopefully help even more people if there is a fault on our network or during a period of stormy weather which causes their power to go off.
“To coincide with the launch of our new partnership, we recently donated 3,000 LED torches to Highland Sight Action to distribute with its newsletter, and we hope these will come in handy throughout the year as well as the rare occasions there is a power cut.”
SSEN also has a long-standing partnership with Home Energy Scotland, which can help with energy efficiency and fuel poverty issues.
Highland Sight Action executive manager Gillian Mitchell said that she and her colleagues had been impressed with the enthusiasm SSEN had shown to working collaboratively.
“Low vision and blindness are not always a priority in any commercial company, and it is reassuring that our clients are being considered during any power outage," she said. "We wish to congratulate SSEN on its forward thinking and look forward to improving the services together.”
To learn more about SSEN’s Priority Services Register, please visit the company’s dedicated webpage.