OREANDA-NEWS. April 22, 2015. British Red Cross and the electricity network operator for central southern England are strengthening their relationship to help vulnerable customers during power cuts.

Following a donation of ?400,000 from Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD), British Red Cross has agreed a programme of crisis response activities aimed at supporting vulnerable customers who find the loss of power during an emergency situation particularly distressing.

The money will help the charity buy a new, fully equipped emergency response vehicle to serve some of the areas across the UK covered by SSEPD, as well as recruiting and training new emergency response team volunteers. The donation will also help the Red Cross  to run their Support Line telephone service, which provides a reliable source of information and comfort to those in distress during a crisis. 

Simon Lewis, head of emergency response at the British Red Cross, said:

“The Red Cross is often amongst the first to respond to emergency situations around the UK, and acts as an auxiliary to the emergency services. We support people forced to leave their homes, or stuck without water or power; helping to make such stressful situations easier to cope with. SSEPD’s support is vital to ensure we are able to expand our emergency response work, helping more people at times of crisis. 

SSEPD’s Director of Distribution, Stuart Hogarth, explained why the electricity distribution network operator has made the donation:

“Our company’s priority is to keep the lights on for our customers, but we recognise that we also have a responsibility to make sure they are safe and well on the rare occasions that the power does go out. For most people, a power cut is simply an inconvenience, but we know that for some it can be much more serious and distressing, particularly for those who rely on electricity for their healthcare or mobility needs. It is this group of customers that we particularly want to benefit from our donation.

“In some areas we already work closely with British Red Cross to identify and look after our most vulnerable customers in adverse situations, and we wanted to show our appreciation of the invaluable support they provide, as well as enable them to continue to help those in greatest need across our communities.”

British Red Cross will also be working with SSEPD in the coming months to train customer call centre staff in techniques that will help them better identify and support people who might be in particular distress, even if it might not be obviously apparent.