Cadent engineers volunteer to help Norfolk residents feel safe in their own homes

• Cadent are working alongside domestic abuse initiative ‘Safe at Home’ to install CCTV cameras and security lights
• Engineers making use of companywide ‘volunteering days’ to help residents feel protected in their own homes
• 30 cameras have been installed by Cadent so far with more days being arranged in October

As part of an ongoing volunteering campaign, engineers from Cadent, the UK’s largest Gas Distribution Network, have been contributing their time and skills to help organisations across the East of England.

The latest recipient of this assistance is the domestic abuse initiative ‘Safe at Home’ which provides CCTV cameras and solar lighting to the victims of domestic abuse. Team members from Cadent’s site in Norwich helped by installing 30 cameras in homes across Norfolk and this is just the first step in a continuing partnership which will see Cadent colleagues utilising their skills, tools, and vans to the initiative.

Safe at Home was the brainchild of Stacy Bradley who wanted to help people fleeing domestic violence feel safe in their own homes by providing cameras and security lighting to reduce the likelihood of post-separation abuse and harassment.

Cadent engineers Lewis Glen and Adam Bellingham carried out the first installations with Gary Smith assisting while Adam Bellingham, Luke Morgan and Dan Small volunteered for the second round of fittings. With Cadent carrying out the installations, this enabled Stacy and her team to redirect much needed resources into purchasing more equipment rather than having to pay an installer.

Dan Sillett, Customer Operation Area Manager for Norfolk at Cadent, said: “It is great to hear the positive feedback from the individuals who we are helping out and how good it made the engineers feel knowing they have made people feel safe.

“As a business, we give all our employees two paid days per financial year to volunteer for the good causes which align to the three themes of our social impact framework of making life easier, fairer and greener. Ultimately, we want to make effective use of our volunteering days by making a real impact in the communities that we all live and work in.”

Safe at Home Director, Stacy Bradley said: “We are amazingly grateful for the support offered to us by Cadent and the engineers from the Norwich depot. They arrived in great spirits and did a wonderful job by installing video cameras and lighting at the homes of those who have suffered domestic abuse and continue to live in fear. They even went above and beyond by helping one household fit new curtain poles so they could have privacy in their home.

“I’m really pleased to say that the hard work quickly paid off as I received a call last week from one of the occupants to let me know that the camera fitted by the Cadent team caught her ex-partner breaching a non-molestation order by attending the property. He was quickly arrested and has been charged with stalking and harassment offences.

“It is likely that this would not have happened without the cameras being in place, so I and the occupant are extremely thankful to Cadent for allowing their engineers to volunteer to help us.”

As a company, Cadent has pledged to donate more than 3,000 volunteering days to local good causes over a five-year period across all its networks in the UK.

Should you require the assistance of Safe at Home, please contact them directly by emailing referrals@safe-at-home.org.uk.