‘Brew with a Crew’ is the new community initiative by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service teams at Banff and MacDuff, raising awareness of the support and advice available by groups and organisations covering mental health, drug and alcohol dependency, financial support and personal resilience.
And as the name suggests, Brew with a Crew sessions are designed to be informal and open to everyone, with a warm cuppa and a friendly ear key to the events’ success.
Shona Horn, SSEN Distribution’s Regional Customer Relationship Manager, was at last week’s events at Banff and MacDuff’s stations, highlighting the vital role the Priority Services Register and Home Emergency Plan can play in boosting personal resilience. She said:
“Brew with a Crew events are a fantastic way for a wide range of groups and organisations to get together under one roof and raise awareness of the specialist care and support they have available. It’s been great to see so many groups in attendance, with everyone focussed on sharing information on the help they can provide. And with the added bonus of a nice warm cuppa, the atmosphere at both these sessions has been very friendly and welcoming.
“Here at SSEN Distribution we’re committed to delivering a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity 24/7, but we also want to do all we can to support our customers if ever the power is off, for example if storms damage our equipment. The first two Brew with a Crew sessions have been great, and we look forward to working with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at their next event in Huntly in the coming weeks.”
Stephen Scott, On Call Support Watch Commander for Banff and Buchan, explains more about the concept of Brew with a Crew:
“At the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service we carry out a lot of pro-active work in the community, with fire prevention education being a really important part of our role. We wanted to expand on that community angle and set up an event where members of the public can drop in at a time that suits them, have a cuppa, a biscuit and a chat in an informal setting to learn about the wide range of help and support on offer across the Banff and Buchan region.
“With so many different groups covering a diverse range of subjects, we’re hoping to reach out to as many people as possible, and it may be that as well as learning more about the services which could potentially benefit them directly, visitors may also hear about something that can help a friend or relative now or in the future.”
“We’re currently planning further Brew with a Crew events in Huntly, Aberchirder and Portsoy. The dates will be confirmed and available through press releases, social media and local press nearer the time of the event.”