Headway North Cumbria member, Anna Selim, recently responded to an advertisement in Cumbria Crack in which the Harker Substation Project was looking for local artwork to help decorate its wellness room. As a consequence £150 has been donated to the branch.
The National Grid Substation at Harker, near Carlisle in Cumbria has been in service since the 1960s. As the equipment on site gets older, technology advances and demand on the electricity network increases, it has become necessary to replace infrastructure at Harker Substation and increase its capacity.
The project allows the National Grid to provide the improvements required to maintain the existing electricity transmission system. It will also ensure the substation is prepared for future demand so it can continue to serve as a critical point of intersection on the UK energy network, connecting supplies between Scotland to England. The work is part of National Grid’s contribution to the Government’s target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To meet these targets, more generation from renewable energy sources such as wind needs to be connected to the electricity network. The work will provide additional network capacity to accommodate this generation.
Omexom Taylor Woodrow (OTW), the National Grid’s Enterprise Delivery Partner for this project, is keen to raise mental health awareness in the construction industry and embed a positive culture change within the workplace. It is doing this in collaboration with Mates in Mind a leading UK charity raising awareness, improving understanding, implementing effective interventions and addressing the stigma of mental ill-health.
As part of this initiate a wellness room has been established by the site Wellbeing Manager, Alan Hartfield, to provide a friendly environment for those that may be struggling and might need help. The search for local artwork was initiated so as to brighten up the environment and make it more welcoming. Anna offered some of her artwork and five pieces were selected and now adorn the walls of the wellness room. The Harker Substation Project offered to purchase her artwork but Anna refused, requesting that a charitable donation be made to Headway North Cumbria instead.
On Thursday 3 April 2025, Anna, accompanied by branch Secretary, Natalie Simpson, and Liam Carroll visited the project, viewed the wellness facility and received a donation of £150 from the Harker Substation Project. They were hosted by Alan Hartfield and Site Manager Colin Livingstone.
A big thank you to the Harker Substation Project, and to Anna, for their generosity.
Photographs from the event can be seen in the slideshow below.
