Electricity workers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN Distribution) put their skills and equipment to good use prior to the latest coronavirus restrictions, helping to cut away trees that were threatening to damage the iconic, 196-year-old ice house at Helmsdale.

Built in 1824, the ice house sits on the river's edge in the village centre and was originally used for the preserving and packing of salmon. The cavernous structure stretches back deep under what is now the village football pitch, with the grass originally making for better insulation of all the contents inside.

Garbh Allt Community Initiative, custodians of the historic building, were becoming concerned that the roots of trees close to the ice house could potentially be causing it long-lasting structural damage, and so began asking in the local community if anyone had the skills and equipment to help.

Jonathan Langlois from Garbh Allt Community Initiative said: “We put a call out to the local community, and we were really encouraged by the interest they took in our project.

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“The ice house is a B-listed building and clearing the trees away was an important step in our work to preserve and protect it, and having the support of SSEN has been really fantastic.”

Local resident Gavin Ogilvie, a surveyor with SSEN’s tree cutting department, said: “I was able to enlist the help of two colleagues, as well as source all of the equipment we needed to safely carry out the work.

“It soon became apparent that there was going to be a lot of wood coming down, and so we also arranged for all the larger branches to be sawn into logs for the local community to use on their fires.

"I’ve lived up here for seven years now, and it feels great to be able to support the local community with such an interesting and important part of Helmsdale’s history.”

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