SSEN, Balfour Beatty and TerraFirma smash funding target for local Lochaber charities

Staff from SSEN Transmission have helped to raise funds for two Lochaber Charities by walking up Scotland’s largest peak, Ben Nevis, alongside colleagues from Balfour Beatty and TerraFirma, who they worked alongside on the Fort Augustus to Fort William project.

 

The team set off at 4am on a cold and wet Saturday morning in the name of Lochaber Hope and Highland Hospice, both selected by Balfour Beatty earlier in the year in order to support organisations local to Lochaber.

 

The group was made up of 20 members from across SSEN Transmission, Balfour Beatty and TerraFirma and managed to raise £3143.75 for Lochaber Hope as well as £2625 for Highland Hospice.

 

The team had set an initial goal to raise £2,000 for each charity but smashed this target thanks to the sponsor money raised by each participant and also the kind donations from each company involved. Two members of the team from SSEN Transmission have also applied to SSE for matched funding, which is expected to take the total raised to £6068.75.

 

The project team celebrated the success of the Fort Augustus to Fort William project with a barbecue once work had been completed, where they raised a further £350 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), a cause that SSEN Transmission raised in excess of £2,000 for last year.

 

Ewan MacFarlane, SSEN Transmission’s project manager, was delighted with the efforts of the team despite the difficult conditions:

 

“The climb was tough with strong gusts of wind and biting cold temperatures, but we all made it up and back down safely within 7 hours. The most challenging part was actually the descent as there were hundreds of walkers on the narrow paths heading up later, many of which were taking part in the 3 peaks challenge.

 

“The weather was typical for Lochaber and the rain stayed on for most of the morning. Once we were up to 3000ft the mist closed in and the temperature plummeted to -2oC. There wasn’t much to see at the summit and still some snow lying in places.

 

“We raised more than expected for three extremely worthy causes, which we are all delighted by. It was a fantastic team effort form all involved in the Project and we were delighted to have raised so much for the two charities.”

 

The recently completed Fort William to Fort Augustus project involved fully refurbishing the towers and replacing the existing wires (conductors). The new wires will be able to carry an increased amount of electricity as well as ensure the continued security of supply in the area.