After previous storms have left residents stranded or without power for days, Aberchirder Village Hall will now function as a warm shelter.
Claus Steen Nielsen, chairman of Aberchirder Village Hall, decided to get the generator installed after the impact Storm Arwen and others had on the community last winter.
He explained: “Last year, our area was really badly hit by power cuts due to storms.
“We got together with the community association and said, ‘How can we provide some kind of place of refuge for the more vulnerable people within our village?’
“We could apply for a grant for the installation of an emergency generator, so there will always be somewhere in our village where there’ll be power.”
Alongside providing the community with warmth, Mr Nielsen said the hall will also give out hot food and drinks.
‘Anybody that needs it’
Brenda King, chairwoman of the Aberchirder Community Association stressed that although this is aimed at vulnerable residents, anyone in need can come along.
“It’s for vulnerable community members, but also there might be people working in the pharmacy if the roads are blocked, and they can’t get home.
“We’ve got the village, but there’s quite a few outlying communities, so we’re reaching out to them, if they don’t want to stay, they can at least have a hot cup of tea.
“We’ve got showers, you can have a hot shower for anybody that wants to use it and needs it.
“Marnoch bridge for instance could be flooded and people can’t get up and down, it could be a lot of different problems,” she said.
Mrs King also wants to ensure the community have the tools at hand to prepare themselves for the winter weather ahead.
She added: “We also want to get out to the community the importance of themselves.
“Make sure you’ve got a spare battery for your torch or a spare one or two candles so that we’re more prepared as a community.”
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