Leading central heating, electric and renewables business Saltire Facilities Management has handed a lifeline to communities across Edinburgh with the donation and installation of defibrillators as part of their commitment to the community.

Saltire, who are currently delivering a multi-year heating service and repair contract for The City of Edinburgh Council, commit to delivering additional benefits for the communities served by their contracts. As part of the service and repair contract, which Saltire have successfully delivered since 2020, the Lanrakshire-based company has purchased and installed four life-saving defibrillators at sites across the Capital.

Engineers at Saltire have already installed defibrillators at Inch Park Nursery, and sheltered housing complexes in Kirkliston, Coillesdene and Chesser. The devices will greatly improve survival odds and reduce time taken to receive treatment for anyone suffering from a cardiac emergency.

Speaking of the donation of defibrillators Saltire Managing Director Alan Murray commented; “As part of our public tender document we commit to deliver various community benefits, however, as a business we are only too happy to oblige. We are delighted to work with the team at Edinburgh City Council to deliver the defibrillators and put life-saving equipment in the hands of local people.”

Top central heating and electrical business, Saltire Facilities Management has offered support to kick start the careers of young people across North Lanarkshire as part of their summer work experience programme which the business has been running few over a decade.

The Bellshill-headquartered company invited young people to spend a week in their head office with a full programme of tasks, meetings, and learning on offer. As part of the work experience young people are given a flavour of all aspects of the business including; health & safety, customer service, engineer dispatch & planning, marketing, and even a bit of an introduction to the trades side of the business. In addition to this, the experience team at Saltire also run sessions in CV writing, how to fill out an application form, and even a mock interview with feedback.

For a multitude of reasons, opportunities for summer work experience for young people is lacking, with many not having had any insight into the real workplace before having to decide upon a career path. Saltire commits to supporting the communities that they work in, offering week-long work experience is just one of a variety of ways they support their local community.

Speaking of the work experience programme Saltire Facilities Management, Business Support Manager, Ally Blyth commented; “We have been offering work experience for many years, my own son was actually one of the first young people to sign up when we started offering the opportunity over a decade ago, so I’ve seen first hand how much it helps people in the early stages of their career beyond school. We offer a wide range of experiences to give as much insight into different aspect of our business, we believe it is important to experience the real world of work before making decisions on a career path.”

One young person, who had just completed a week shadowing the Saltire teams added; “I would like to thank you all for my recent work experience with Saltire, I enjoyed my time and the opportunity to learn more about your company and what you do. This experience taught me about teamwork, customer care and what the working world is really like. I really appreciate how helpful and friendly everyone was.”