Matt Yates, our New Business Project Manager who’s normally based at Walton Park in Portsmouth, has, like the rest of us during the storms, turned his focus to helping our customers who were without power.
We caught up with Matt for a chat about his passion for helping our customers by doing everything he can to ensure they’re looked after when their power is off.
“When your power is off, everything you take for granted, particularly with households increasing dependency on computers and technology, is taken away. Basic everyday things like a cup of tea or a quick bite to eat suddenly become a luxury.
“I’m part of the team that takes our welfare vans out into the local communities to provide teas and coffees, hot meals and also offer phone charging facilities while making sure everyone is OK and kept up to date with our engineers’ progress.
“We realise that some of our vulnerable customers find it difficult to get out of the house at the best of times, never mind in the cold and dark, and so I’ve been going door-to-door, checking they’re OK and take their food orders if they can’t get to the welfare van.
“Over the past few months I’ve been delivering hot meals to the elderly throughout the storms, and only last night I was speaking to a lady who is heavily pregnant and wanted to make sure that her young family were looked after when the power was off, and so I went out to get her baby food and also made sure she got some hot food at the same time.
“While my colleagues clearing fallen trees, repairing broken poles and replacing damaged conductors are often working in difficult conditions, we appreciate that every minute without power is important to our customers. I’m proud to be part of the team keeping customers informed about our progress and providing advice and support, particularly for those most vulnerable.”