Shaw and Whitley communities join together for their Emergency Contact Hub exercise

A new Emergency Contact Hub project running across Wiltshire and Swindon has been given a boost thanks to an award from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) most recent Resilient Communities Fund.

The funding, of more than £9,500, is being used by local resilience group, Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared, to buy ‘Go To Boxes’. These will be distributed across the recently-established Emergency Contact Hubs, which aim to provide communities with essential resources and a designated location to come together and support one another during emergencies.

This initiative is a key component in Wiltshire and Swindon’s National Power Outage Plans, ensuring its communities remain resilient and well-prepared in times of crisis, with equipment and resources being purchased through SSEN’s grant including promotional materials, role cards, guides, and emergency equipment such as torches and power packs.

To date, over 45 communities have signed up to participate in the project - with many more awaiting confirmation - and the goal is to have over 100 fully established hubs, ensuring that every community member knows where to go and what to do in an emergency.

Inspired by a successful model in New Zealand, Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared has adapted the plan to meet the specific needs of those living in the areas it serves. Now other regions across the UK are looking to adopt a similar approach after recognising the value of community-led emergency preparedness.

Perry Holmes, Chair of the Local Resilience Forum said:

"Investing in Community Resilience is a key priority in Wiltshire and Swindon. The finance provided by SSEN is most welcome and is enabling us to push forward a project we believe will build on the fantastic proactiveness that already exists within our communities.

“We hope to never need the Emergency Contact Hubs but we believe the increased resilience these give the community together with improved linkage to the emergency services will be a great asset to us in the future".

The Emergency Contact Hubs set up across Wiltshire and Swindon aim to:

  • Have a central location where community members can gather during disasters or emergencies to support each other and stay connected with emergency services.
  • Help communities handle minor issues independently, allowing emergency responders to focus on critical situations.
  • Offer various support services, such as updates from local responding agencies, warmth and welfare support, food and water distribution, coordination of community activities, and a place for residents to gather.

All of the hubs are community-run, using local venues and staffed mainly by volunteers. Each hub has an emergency pack with role suggestions to help it operate effectively, and the system is designed to be simple and adaptable to the community’s needs. Full information on the hubs can be found at www.wiltshireandswindonprepared.org.uk. 

While the previous Resilient Communities Fund has now ended, SSEN has launched a new fund and is now welcoming applications to its new Powering Communities to Net Zero (PCNZ) fund.

The new fund will run annually from now, concluding in Spring 2028, with more than £3m in grants to be awarded during this time. The PCNZ fund will support communities during prolonged power interruptions caused by storms, aid their ability to cope in periods of severe weather, and will now also support the adoption of new low-carbon technologies by non-profit organisations.  

The fund is split into two categories; community-led physical and environmental resilience, and Low Carbon Technology (LCTs) and applications will run until Saturday 31 August.

The application form and more details can be found at www.ssen.co.uk/pcnz

To be eligible for funding, your project must benefit communities that lie wholly within Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) licence areas.

If you are unsure who your distribution network operator is, please check here: www.ssen.co.uk/about-ssen/who-is-my-distributor/