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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Nicola Garscadden

Organisations join forces to improve safety for older people across East Kilbride

An East Kilbride mechanical and electrical company recently formed a partnership with a charity based in the town.

Forte Engineering teamed up with Healthy and Active in East Kilbride to help provide support in the local community by installing interlinked smoke alarms into 10 homes across East Kilbride including Greenhills, Calderwood and St Leonards.

The firm are expert mechanical, electrical and telecom engineers supporting projects on the UK's railway.

Healthy and Active in East Kilbride are an integral part of the community.

It provides services and access to local supports and activities to help improve the quality of life, mental and physical health, wellbeing, independence and inclusion of people and communities.

New legislation was introduced on February 1 requiring every home in Scotland to have interlinked smoke alarms.

These alarms are essential to keep individuals safe and every home protected.

Project worker Megan O'Brien from Healthy and Active in East Kilbride said: "We are extremely grateful to the team at Forte Engineering, who volunteered their time and donated equipment helping a group of local people who now have fully interlinked smoke alarms in their homes.

"This now means they are safe and compliant with the new regulations which is really important.

"It’s great to have a local company work with us on such an important project.”

Joe, aged 77, from East Kilbride who has benefitted from the smoke alarm installation said: “I’ll be quite honest, with the outrageous rise in my gas and electricity bill, paying for the required four interlinked smoke alarms plus the installation was simply not an option for me. It was completely not affordable with my pension.

"When I found out about the donation I was over the moon, and totally and utterly relieved that this wasn’t going to be hanging over me anymore.

"This has been fantastic for me. The engineer did a wonderful job at installing them. Now fingers and toes crossed that I don’t have to use them."

Derek Riddell, managing director of Forte Engineering said: "We recognise the importance of supporting our local community as many of our staff and contractors are from this area.

"It's been great working with the team at Healthy and Active in East Kilbride and we hope to support them further in the future."

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