A YOUNG artist from Bridport is feeling electric after her poster was chosen for a power company’s advertising campaign to help people get ready for winter.

Ellie Shepherd is one of just six artists who have been the inspiration behind Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution’s (SSEPD) campaign this winter.

The ‘we’re ready for winter, are you?’ campaign, features a host of artwork from children of SSEPD employees, including 10-year-old Ellie.

Ellie’s drawing depicts the work that her stepdad Andy does for the electricity network operator – to keep the lights on for the company’s 2.9m customers across central southern England.

The artwork created by the children, including Ellie, shows their pride in the roles their mothers or fathers play when the worst of the weather hits and affects the power network. 

The artwork will be appearing on outdoor displays and online as part of the advertising drive.

To coincide with that, further information on how SSEPD is helping its customers prepare for bad weather will be broadcast on radio stations.

Stuart Hogarth, director of distribution at SSEPD, praised all of the entries into the competition and said he hoped the winter campaign would be useful for customers.

Mr Hogarth said: “We ask our customers to prepare themselves for a possible power cut in the face of adverse weather. 

“The ‘We’re ready for winter. Are you?’ campaign might only run through the winter months, but our work to get ready for the worst that the weather can throw at us goes on 365 days a year as we work to maintain, repair and replace our network to make it stronger and more resilient.”

Mr Hogarth said part of the scheme was to reassure customers that the firm would always provide a helping hand during a blackout.

He added: “While we want to reassure our customers that we are constantly working to keep the lights on, we also want them to know that we’re here to help them when the bad weather sets in and there’s a possibility that they may be temporarily without power.”

SSEPD continually monitors the weather so that engineers, call centre staff and welfare provisions are in place at the earliest opportunity and ready to respond when the risk of bad weather is looming throughout the year.