Winter safety kits donated to Tarbert Academy pupils to help keep them safe when cycling to school

 

Pupils at Tarbert Academy will be able to cycle to school safely thanks to donations of winter safety kits from SSEN Transmission to help them be seen during the darker nights when commuting to school.

Teams from SSEN Transmission working on the Inveraray to Crossaig electricity reinforcement project donated over 80 sets of high-visibility waistcoats as well as over 200 snap-on reflective arm bands, water bottles and wind-up torches to help the pupils be safer on their commute to and from school during the colder and darker winter months. 

Tarbert Academy runs a popular ‘cycle to school’ programme to help pupils use active travel to get them to and from school, and the high-visibility equipment will help pupils be safer on the road network in the hours of darkness.

SSEN Transmission Construction Supervisor Paul Munn visited Tarbert Academy earlier this month to deliver the winter safety kits to Head Teacher Neil McKnight and meet some of the pupils who will benefit from the extra safety measures during their commutes to school.   

SSEN Transmission Project Manager David Auld said:  “Safety is our number one priority when working on our sites, and what better way to share this message with the young people at Tarbert Academy than by donating equipment to help ensure pupils can travel home safely during the winter months in the run up to Christmas and when the new term starts next year.

“We’re proud to support the local community while we continue with our work to reinforce the Inveraray to Crossaig overhead line, which once complete will ensure there remains a safe, reliable and secure supply of energy into Argyll.

“It’s great to hear that active travel is so popular with the pupils in the area, and we hope that the donations of high-vis reflective equipment will help them be safe and be seen on their journeys to and from school.” 

Tarbert Academy Head Teacher Neil McKnight said: “The safety, health and wellbeing of our young people is our highest priority at Tarbert Academy and I was delighted to accept the very generous donation of winter safety kits from SSEN Transmission which will allow the children to be visible and safe while cycling or walking to and from school this winter.”

The Inveraray to Crossaig project is making good progress as teams continue with work to install the new 275kV overhead line which will replace the previous 132kV connection in the area which was reaching the end of its operational life.  Once complete, the upgraded overhead line will help ensure there remains a secure energy supply in Argyll, meaning a more reliable transmission network for keeping the lights on for homes and businesses across Argyll.  The new line will also enable renewable energy projects to connect to the electricity network, allowing cleaner, greener energy to be transported to where it is needed across the UK. 

To learn more about the project visit: https://www.ssen-transmission.co.uk/projects/inveraray-crossaig/