'Getting Risk Ready' Summit will shape future of resilience

More than 80 people from 30 organisations attended our 'Getting Risk Ready' Summit at Warning Zone in Leicester to explore the next steps towards building a stronger culture of resilience and preparedness in the communities we serve.

The summit brought together partners from across the public, voluntary, community, education and emergency response sectors to focus on this simple but important challenge.

To set the scene, delegates heard that 73% of people agree there are effective actions they can take to prepare for emergencies and disasters - yet only 13% feel their household is largely or totally prepared. Only 10% feel their community is totally prepared.

The LRF's Risk Ready programme is seeking to bridge this so-called 'preparedness gap'. 

Throughout the day, delegates explored how we can:
• Build stronger community resilience through trusted local networks and community leadership
• Help individuals understand local risks, look out for others and build a stock of essential supplies, such as food and bottled water
• Develop engaging, age-appropriate resilience resources for children and young people through our emerging youth resilience project
• Create a whole-of-society approach that brings together communities, voluntary organisations, emergency services, local authorities, educators and businesses.

The quality of discussion, challenge and ambition throughout the day demonstrated the collective commitment that already exists across LLR - and the strong consensus that resilience cannot be delivered to communities; it must be developed with them.

Mark Warden, LRF Manager

He added: "We'd also like to thank Warning Zone for hosting the summit and allowing us to use their fantastic venue. The immersive environment provided the perfect setting for discussions about preparedness, resilience and community action. We look forward to exploring how we can work together in the future to help build the next generation of resilient communities.

"The summit may be over but the work is just beginning."

The ideas, challenges and opportunities identified during the day will now help shape the next phase of the LRF's Risk Ready programme, working towards communities that are better informed, better connected and better prepared for whatever lies ahead.