Scottish Hydro Electric volunteering at the World Orienteering Championships Scottish 6 Days event

Members of the Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) team have been helping the World Orienteering Championships to stage their Scottish 6 Days event.

Earlier this month the four-strong team used their ‘Be the Difference’ day to join representatives from the WOC and help with the last two days of the orienteering event, which were held in Glen Affric. As the event is run over different areas of Scotland over the course of six days, local volunteers who know the terrain - and the rather unpredictable weather – are always welcome to lend their support.

SHE Transmission’s Tina Ross, Joanne Seth, John Foley and Phil Bowen had no idea how invaluable that knowledge would be when they set off in three SSE 4 x 4 vehicles to deliver tables, water bottles, cups and bags to the various points through the woods where the orienteers from around the world would be competing. In the days running up to  the event, the rainfall had been so persistent that the SHE Transmission team found themselves facing quite a challenge, as Tina explains: “There were a lot of fallen trees to climb over and the ground was water-logged and uneven, so we really had our work cut out to complete the task safely and on time, making sure everything was in place for the start of the event. True team spirit kicked in though and by helping each other out we got everything done ahead of schedule. We might have been covered in mud and midge bites at the end of the day, but it was all worth while.”

Steve Nicholson from the WOC was delighted to have the extra help, saying: “I don’t know how we would have managed to get all of that kit and water in place without the help of the SHE Transmission team and I really hope they enjoyed their day with us. The event went really well - there wasn’t a single mention of refreshments and in my experience silence equals no complaints and therefore a job well done!”

The Scottish 6 Days orienteering event will return in 2017 and later this summer BBC2 will feature the World Orienteering Championships on their ‘Adventure Show’.

Since the launch of SSE's ‘Be the Difference’ volunteering programme, it has helped over 2,500 projects, with SHE Transmission’s employees dedicating their time to projects that matter in the communities where they live and work.