TWO organisations have teamed up to advise the Salisbury community on how to deal with unplanned power cuts and stay safe this winter.

On October 5, Wiltshire Sight and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) hosted an ‘Eye Can’ event to equip people with what to do in the case of a power cut.

The event, in Salisbury Guildhall, welcomed organisations and around 150 attendees for one-to-one discussions with four customer and community advisors from SSEN’s Ridgeway and Wessex regions. The advisors shared how they can assist customers during adverse weather events which could disrupt their power supply.

As well as publicising personal resilience plans and the use of the 105 free-to-call emergency power cut number, the SSEN colleagues also highlighted the distribution operator’s Priority Services Register (PSR) which aims to help vulnerable customers, including blind or partially sighted people during an unplanned power outage.

Customers are eligible for SSEN’s free Priority Service Register (PSR) if they:

  • Are deaf or hard of hearing
  • Have a disability
  • Live with children under five
  • Are blind or partially sighted
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
  • Are over 60
  • Temporarily need extra support

To find out more about the PSR, go to ssen.co.uk/power-cuts-emergencies/priority-services/ or call 0800 294 3259.

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SSEN’s customer and community advisor, Melanie Grace, said: “SSEN and Wiltshire Sight have worked together for a number of years to ensure visually impaired customers are aware of the steps they can take to help keep them safe during adverse weather events and power cuts, and how we can help them during this time.

“Our Priority Services Register is there to assist anyone who might become vulnerable during a power cut and I’d encourage everyone to find out about the scheme, and to register if they need to.

“Eye Can has enabled us to meet more of our customers and to talk through any concerns or needs they may have, and I’d like to thank Wiltshire Sight for welcoming my colleagues and I to this event.”

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In 2021, Wiltshire Sight received a £17,500 grant from SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund to support visually impaired individuals in rebuilding their confidence and practical skills; helping them become more resilient. The charity works from four community hub locations, including its new Salisbury resource centre. The service’s community sight loss advisor, whose role is partly funded by SSEN, assists people in learning how they can be helped by technology in their day-to-day lives.

For more go to sightsupportwest.org.uk/wiltshire/.