Vulnerable older people in the remote Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys in the Borders are receiving lifeline grocery supplies thanks to our support and local volunteers who are helping deliver to those in self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.
Thanks to funding of £61,000 from our Green Economy Fund, local communities in Ettrick and Yarrow are benefitting from an electric vehicle scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a new electric van has been deployed to provide the vital delivery service at a time when it is particularly difficult for older vulnerable people to access essential groceries.
Deliveries are being led by local resident, Ken Owen, who volunteers as a delivery driver for the Ettrick & Yarrow Community Development Company. With the nearest town of Selkirk being 26 miles away from the furthest isolating households, and supermarket delivery slots hard to come by, this has proved a vital service.
Ken delivers fresh meat from a Selkirk butcher on Wednesdays and fresh bakery produce and fruit and vegetables on Thursdays. He has also been dropping off essential prescriptions and doing a supermarket run for other necessities on a Saturday.
The electric delivery service is clocking up over 200 miles per week and is providing a lifeline to elderly residents self-isolating in the Ettrick & Yarrow Valleys. Local coordinators organised by the community council collate the orders which are then passed on to the Selkirk shops and suppliers with around 150 orders being placed each week.
Delivery driver Ken Owen said: “This has been a really tough time for older people living in the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys. Living in isolation is hard enough without the challenge of getting vital groceries and prescriptions. I’m happy to be playing my part by volunteering to make these deliveries.”
Vicky Davidson at the Ettrick & Yarrow Community Development Company said: “It’s incredible how local businesses and people across the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys have worked together to get this support in place so quickly. People like Ken and the local community council are our community heroes.”
During lockdown, there has been an unprecedented number of elderly people asking for help as they are unable to travel. The Scottish Government has now defined its volunteers as key workers providing an essential service, allowing individuals, like Ken, to help vulnerable people in local communities.
Ian Johnston, District General Manager, Edinburgh and Borders at SP Energy Networks, said: “People across the country are doing extraordinary things to help the most vulnerable in their area during the coronavirus outbreak. We’re proud to support the local community in the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys and will be continuing to do what we can to assist the outstanding work of its volunteers in the local area.”
The funding awarded by our Green Economy Fund has provided a new state-of-the-art electric vehicle with electric vehicle charge points. The project has also looked at the feasibility of extending the renewable generation within these rural communities.
As well as offering charitable support, teams of our engineers are working hard across the UK to keep the power flowing to the 3.5 million households who are depending on the electricity supply throughout the coronavirus crisis.
We have introduced measures to protect the energy supply for critical national infrastructure and public service sites such as hospitals, nursing homes, food supply chain businesses and Ministry of Defence sites.
People who have received a letter from the NHS advising them that they are ‘at risk’ and should take additional measures to protect themselves from Covid-19 are being advised to sign up for our Priority Services Register. This provides free additional services to customers in vulnerable circumstances if there is an unexpected power cut. They should sign up at spenergynetworks.co.uk or text PSR to 61999.
In the event of a power cut, you should call the national 105 hotline no matter who they pay their bill to. More information about how SP Energy Networks is responding to Covid-19.