UKPN’s Simon Deeley and Euan Macrae: Keeping Us Connected

As part of Utility Week’s Keeping Us Connected campaign, we highlight two UK Power Networks (UKPN) employees who are helping their communities battle coronavirus.

Simon Deeley and Euan Macrae were both nominated by Liam O’Sullivan, head of programme management and delivery at UKPN for helping the national effort, with agreement from the company.

Simon Deeley was a Royal Marine Commando from 1988 to 1998 and served in the first Gulf War. Now the UKPN project manager is helping fight a different battle by getting personal protective equipment (PPE) to Suffolk care homes, funeral directors and individuals who regularly risk coming into contact with Covid-19.

Simon, a reservist with the 3rd battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, also makes bulk collections of food, taking it to the distribution depots for food banks.

He said: “Everyone is chuffed as some people have struggled a lot, they have been down to one mask and had people to look after. They get given enough for a week at a time.”

Euan Macrae is a project manager in East London who works as an NHS volunteer, as an emergency crew member with St John Ambulance. Since the start of the outbreak, St John Ambulance has transformed its focus to supporting the NHS with thousands of volunteers across the country stepping forward to offer assistance. The charity has been actively supporting ambulance services, hospitals and communities to protect life and health.

Euan has been released from normal working duties at UKPN to crew emergency ambulances responding to 999 calls and help relieve the pressure on the NHS.

Martin Houghton-Brown, chief executive of St John Ambulance, added: “It is excellent to hear that UKPN has taken this step to release Euan so that he can use his skills in his volunteering role to help in the work we and the NHS are doing to fight Covid-19. This is a very positive move for an organisation to make. We thank them and would encourage other businesses across the country to do the same and let our volunteers volunteer during this pandemic.”

Keeping Us Connected is a new series from Utility Week in which we highlight the achievements of employees across the utilities sector in getting the UK through lockdown. To nominate a member of your team for recognition, please email jameswallin@fav-house.com.