Summer is coming - but are you prepared?

As temperatures start to rise, people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) are being encouraged to prepare for summertime risks like heatwaves, wildfires, storms and floods.

Alice Moorcroft-Hughes, Delivery Manager for our Risk Ready Communities programme, said: “Summer conjures up images of sunny days and BBQs. However, hot weather and heatwaves can have serious impacts, particularly for older people and others who may be vulnerable to extreme heat. 

“Summer can also bring storms that cause serious flooding and loss of utilities. Would you know what to do if that happened in your community?

“We’re here to help everyone play a part, however small, in supporting their community and keeping each other safe – whether that’s by checking in on your neighbours during a heatwave or drawing up your own Community Response Plan so you can act faster in an emergency.”

People can sign up now for two free webinars to help them be ‘risk ready’, including a session on preparing for summertime hazards (each session will be repeated so people can choose their preferred date and time):

  • Summer Preparedness - Tuesday 2 June, 6:30pm – 8pm, repeated on Thursday 4 June, 2pm – 3:30pm
  • Community Response Plans - Wednesday 1 July, 2pm – 3:30pm, repeated on Thursday 2 July, 6:30pm – 8pm

All webinars, workshops and resources are free and open to everyone, including residents, community groups, businesses, local councils, faith groups and anyone else living or working in LLR.

People can also come along and meet the Risk Ready Communities team at Leicester’s Riverside Festival on 6 and 7 June!

Risk Ready Communities is a community resilience programme led by the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), in partnership with charity Groundwork Five Counties and Communities Prepared (a Groundwork South programme).