Every year, teams of arborists from SSEN Distribution’s depots and regions across northern Scotland come together to share ideas, collaborate on safety techniques and practice climbing exercises, as well as watching demonstrations of the latest climbing technology from manufacturers.

In addition to the work-focused activities across the day, another highlight of the annual event is the raffle – not only in anticipation of the chance to win a prize, but also to raise money for local good causes and community groups; this year’s beneficiary is Killin Mountain Rescue.

Joady MacRae, Performance Manager in SSEN’s tree-cutting unit, explains more:
“At SSEN, safety is our number one priority. Everything we do is carefully risk assessed before we even get as far as putting on a climbing harness – and we all undergo regular safety-refresher courses for key parts of our roles, for example climbing and chainsaw operations.

“Due to the remote locations we often work in, should we need first-aid support, mountain rescue teams could very well end up being the first responders who come to help us. As a lot of these organisations are run by volunteers, funding is crucial to their ongoing operations. With that in mind, when we put our heads together to decide who would benefit from the proceeds of this year’s raffle, Killin Mountain Rescue was a really popular winner.”

The raffle itself saw £1,690 raised from ticket sales and donations, and this amount was then doubled to £3,380 by SSEN’s Matched Funding initiative, which supports employees taking part in fund-raising for registered charities and groups.

Richard Morris from the Killin Mountain Rescue team said:

“We’d like to thank everyone at SSEN Distribution for this fantastic donation as we are a volunteer organisation that relies on donations to enable us to offer a 24/7, 365 service to those in need. 

“Donations support our training activities as well as enabling us to have the necessary kit to be safe and effective in the mountains. The money we’ve received from SSEN is absolutely fantastic and makes a huge difference to our ongoing running costs, it will support us with our annual winter skills development and training of team members..”

To learn more about the work of SSEN Distribution’s tree-cutting team and the work they do, visit our careers page.