OREANDA-NEWS. The British Red Cross has deployed a new emergency response vehicle that will serve Argyll and Bute and West Scotland, thanks to a donation from Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD). 

The new ?20,000 Ford Kuga All Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle will allow the charity to provide a versatile response to crisis situations and give day–to-day assistance to vulnerable people, including visits to check on their welfare and transport those with mobility problems to hospital appointments. 

The purchase has been made as part of a ?400,000 donation from the electricity network operator for northern Scotland, the Highlands and Islands, and central southern England. SSEPD also has a long standing partnership with the British Red Cross to help look after the welfare of its most vulnerable customers in the rare event of an extended power cut or during storms and other extreme weather events. 

Alex Copland, Event First Aid & Emergency Response Service Manager for the British Red Cross, was presented with the vehicle at our head office in Perth. He said: “On behalf of the British Red Cross I’d like to thank Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution, for the generous donation of this vehicle, which means our volunteers can now reach more people in need of help.  We are very grateful for SSEPD’s continued support, as it helps us to continue a vitally important service to the people of West Scotland, and without which many people would not be able to live independently. 

Colin Nicol, Managing Director of SSEPD presented the new Ford Kuga to Alex Copland on behalf of the British Red Cross in an official handover ceremony. Colin said: 

“We are extremely grateful to the British Red Cross for their continued help in supporting some of our most vulnerable customers, from carrying out welfare visits during power cuts to helping us understand how to best serve the needs of those individuals who might find the loss of power particularly difficult. That’s why I am extremely pleased to be able to present this new emergency response vehicle to Alex, and to help the British Red Cross continue the fantastic work they do in the communities our teams live and work in.”

The new vehicle is one of four Red Cross vehicles to be funded by Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution. It will primarily cover the Argyll and Bute local authority area, but will be redeployed to incidents throughout West Scotland as required.