SSEN Transmission help to become Action For Children’s Secret Santa this Christmas

SSEN Transmission team member Joanne Poyner is helping to spread some Christmas spirit to ensure children most in need can experience some festive magic this Christmas.

Joanne Poyner, SSEN Transmission’s Community Liaison Manager in the Argyll and East region team, has been raising money for Action For Children’s ‘Be a Secret Santa’ initiative – reaching a grand total of £1,140 thanks to her fantastic fundraising efforts. 

Instead of the conventional ‘Secret Santa’ gift-giving in her team, Joanne came up with the idea of setting up a fundraising page to donate to Action for Children instead, a cause which helps provide gifts and toys to children who may otherwise wake up to nothing this Christmas.  The idea soon caught on, with team members from across SSEN Transmission contributing to the fundraiser. 

There are children all over the UK who will wake up on Christmas morning to nothing but a cold house. No toys, no treats, no Christmas dinner – maybe no dinner at all. Action For Children, who helped reach more than 670,000 families last year, want to change this. While their work is important at this time of year, they work hard all year round to provide support to those most in need.

Joanne said: “We all know how tough things are at the moment, especially for those less fortunate than ourselves. 

“We decided as a team that we would focus on this rather than a conventional secret Santa. I looked into quite a few charities, some based in Perth and another based in Glasgow, but I didn’t want people buying gifts that had to be delivered if they didn’t live locally. 

“I found Action For Children, who do work right across the UK, meaning nowhere would be excluded from the fundraising. Their Secret Santa initiative is fantastic because it’s not just providing families with toys, but the money raised can be used to provide clothes, food and a comfy bed.”

Thanks to donations from across SSEN Transmission, Joanne raised an incredible £570, with SSE matching her fundraising efforts to take the grand total to £1,140.

Joanne continued:  “I’m so delighted that people across all of SSEN Transmission have decided to get involved in this fundraiser to support such a brilliant cause, and I’m thrilled that these donations will help spread a little festive magic to those who may otherwise wake up to nothing.”

Grant McFarlane, Action for Children’s Senior High Value Relationships Manager, said:

“Thank you to all the team at SSEN Transmission who have become Secret Santas to help vulnerable children this Christmas. For most of us this is a magical time, spent celebrating with family and friends. But far too many children, young people and families across the country are really struggling right now, with the cost-of-living crisis making challenges they were already facing much worse. Your wonderful support is very welcome and will help put some magic back into Christmas for them.”

Action For Children help children across the UK to grow up safe and happy. They offer practical and emotional support to families, and work with decision-makers to make sure government policies protect children, now and in the future.  Learn more at: www.actionforchildren.org.uk

Perth-based SSEN Transmission is responsible for the high-voltage electricity transmission network across the north of Scotland.