A 140-year-old Inverness social enterprise is set to play a key role in one of Scotland’s biggest energy projects by handcrafting beds for workers building the new electricity line to Skye.
Highland Blindcraft has secured a contract to supply 85 mattresses for Balfour Beatty’s Glen Mor workers’ village near Fort Augustus, which will temporarily house those delivering SSEN Transmission’s Skye Reinforcement Project.
The deal is more than just practical.
It is a commitment to local skills, inclusive employment and sustainability.
The mattresses, made by staff with visual impairments and other disabilities, will not be discarded when the project ends.
Covers will be replaced between users and, once no longer needed, the mattresses will be refurbished and donated to local charities.
The order has already created a new manufacturing role at Highland Blindcraft, supported by Highland Council’s HERO scheme, and could lead to further opportunities as the project continues.
Simon Robertson, SSEN Transmission’s lead project manager, said the collaboration showed how major infrastructure can deliver real community benefit.
“Supporting local businesses is central to what we’re doing,” he said.
“This project is critical to energy security for Skye and the Western Isles, and partnerships like this help ensure local people feel those benefits too.”
Balfour Beatty’s social impact manager Sam Crowe said the partnership demonstrated a wider commitment.
“It’s not just about building infrastructure,” he said.
“It’s about leaving a legacy of skills, jobs and social value in the places where we work.”
For Highland Blindcraft, the contract is a vote of confidence in both craftsmanship and community ethos.
Chief executive Deirdre Aitken said:
“Our supported employees are proud to be part of a project of this scale.
“It’s fantastic to see a major company recognise the quality of what we do and the difference inclusive employment makes.”
The project has also won praise from those championing supported employment nationally.
Alistair Kerr of the British Association for Supported Employment in Scotland called it “an example of infrastructure investment benefiting workers, communities and the environment all at once.”
Jamie Lawson of Scottish Social Enterprises said social enterprises like Highland Blindcraft were “quietly transforming” local economies by keeping wealth and opportunity close to home.
The Skye Reinforcement Project, approved by the Scottish Government in June, will replace an ageing single-circuit overhead line between Fort Augustus and Skye.
The upgrade will unlock renewable energy potential and strengthen supply to homes and businesses on Skye and the Western Isles.
As part of SSEN Transmission’s £20 billion Pathway to 2030 programme, the line is seen as vital to the Highlands’ role in the UK’s clean energy transition.
For those at Highland Blindcraft, it is also a source of quiet pride.
“Our team knows every stitch matters,” said Aitken.
“When the workers on Skye lay down at night, they’ll know those beds were made here, by people who care.”
