Our borough has a strong vibrant voluntary and community network. However, when we experience emergencies and disruption caused by severe winter weather and flooding or from issues such as fuel shortages or pandemic viruses, these can prove challenging and overwhelming unless we are better prepared to handle such emergencies.

Preparation can make a big difference. If you already know who to talk to, and have planned in advance what to do when such an emergency happens, it means you don’t have to start from scratch. At the heart of how communities get through such emergencies is ‘resilience’: using our strengths to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

Over the next few months, Richmond CVS will be conducting a review of learning from recent emergency responses, working alongside the Richmond Council’s Borough Resilience Forum to improve communication and co-ordination between the voluntary and statutory sectors; so as to better respond in all types of disasters and emergencies, focusing on information, training and frameworks.

Look out for the Community Resilience survey coming soon!

If you’d like to be more involved, please do send us your email and name to be kept in the loop. Email action@richmondcvs.org.uk.