Category: Counting On …

Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on

Counting on … day 71

27th May 2025

Local churches – particularly those where the congregation is predominantly local too – can be a force for good because it builds the strength of the local community and has a building that is available as a community centre. Tearfund identifies local churches as having ten key strengths that can enable them to tackle the risk of disaster.

  • respond immediately 
  • Provide compassion and care 
  • Have resources available locally
  • Influence and shale values
  • Act as community peace builders
  • Facilitate community action 
  • Raise awareness of risks and advocate for change
  • Communicate hope and promote healing
  • Pray to bring change
  • Raise issues and draw support from their denomination as a regional or national level (1)

However Tearfund also point out that some churches “may not see strengthening the resilience of communities as part of the church’s role.”

Churches need to consciously and proactively engage with the challenge of being a key part of community resilience.

Counting on … day 70

26th May 2025

Another aid to community resilience is having people locally who have undertaken various forms of training such as first aid. 

The British Red Cross have produced a detailed report on the benefits first aiders can bring to  community resilience  – “Being socially connected is related to an individual’s willingness to act, with those stating a willingness to act also reporting they feel part of a community, the community watch out for each other, and that people in the community are willing to,help each other.” (1)

And  St John’s Ambulance highlights the benefits of mental health first aid – “Through active listening and creating a safe space for open conversations, Mental Health First Aiders contribute to a healthier and more resilient community.” (2)

There are equally benefits for communities that have the services of search and rescue volunteers. Volunteer teams cover both remote mountain terrains and flatter rural and urban areas too.

“Often when people hear the words “search and rescue “they have an image of an off-shore rescue, snow covered mountains or fast flowing waters. The Lowland Rescue teams including CRS can also be involved in fast water or weather-related incidents, but we often find ourselves having to search villages, towns and cities for missing persons.

These urban areas have many challenges including, buildings, both occupied and derelict, park land, waterways, gardens, roads and people to name but a few. The specialised Lowland Rescue training that our volunteers receive, which is always delivered to a national standard, prepares them for all eventualities.” (3) 

Equally communities could benefit from having people who have fire fighting skills. (4)

(1) https://british-red-cross.relayto.com/e/assessing-the-links-between-first-aid-training-and-community-resilience-sh0pd3g0gw8pi

(2) https://www.sja.org.uk/courses/workplace-mental-health-first-aid/mental-health-first-aid/book/

(3) https://www.communityrescue.org/service/land-search-and-rescue/

(4) https://fireengland.uk/recruitment/ways-get-involved

Counting on … day 69

23rd May 2025

Community Energy

Adverse weather can cut the grid supply of electricity on which our lifestyles are so reliant. Having a locally based unit producing electricity would seem advantageous – for the individual householder this could be solar panels – but communities might also want to have a locally owned wind turbine or hydro plant. Community projects can also secure better energy security by ensuring individual homes are  well  insulated and that households have access to energy at affordable prices.

“Community energy is about people working together to generate electricity locally using renewable technologies that both reduce carbon emissions and save money.” (1)

“Community energy’ is when citizens work together to build renewables or support households in reducing their consumption. It often refers to community-led generation projects, for example a wind farm or solar panel project which members of the community part or fully own.” (2)

  1. https://communityenergypathways.org.uk/about/
  2. https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/what-community-energy

Counting on … day 68

22nd May 2025

Depending where you live, you may have easy access to a library of things meaning if you need a power drill, or a sewing machine, a wood plane or a fish kettle, you can borrow one for a small fee. And thus avoiding spending far more on something you may only use once. That is good for sustainability and potentially increases resilience in the event of a crisis. It can also nurture structures and habits that makes for a resilient community – a community that can look after each other. 

https://www.cagoxfordshire.org.uk/library-of-things
https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/

Counting on … day 67

21st  May 2025

Food security even in the UK is tenuous. The action group Sustain observes that “the 2023 National Risk Register only conceives of one direct food impact, that of food supply contamination. In terms of other potential disruption, the current advice to the public is to store 3 days’ worth of food at home.  While there are already 7.2 million people experiencing food insecurity in the UK, with people unable to afford to feed themselves for one day let alone to stockpile, we need to be leaning toward community-scale food storage and systems over a “preppers” mentality.” 

In the UK most of our food comes via supermarket chains and their large scale distribution networks which makes us all vulnerable if just one part of that system fails – flood, fire, illness etc. We don’t have a local network of food supplies that could provide us with emergency food. More locally based – and therefore likely smaller – farms, and community gardens, allotments  and orchards etc would help improve local resilience. Do read this item from Sustain detailing how local authorities etc could achieve this.

https://www.sustainweb.org/blogs/mar25-building-food-resilience/

Counting on … day 65

19th  May 2025

Food banks make good commmunity hubs and increase resilience. Tottenham food bank has the strap line “Tottenham Foodbank: empowering community resilience, one parcel at a time”.

While sadly necessary, food banks ensure people who need it receive food and other essentials. Those who come and those who run the food banks also  become means by which information is shared and by which community resilience is increased. In the event of a crisis, having a community already in place will help the people in that locality better cope with the crisis. Knowing whose who, knowing who is more vulnerable, knowing who has particular skills or knowledge can really make a difference. 

https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/communities-and-social-justice/civil-society/community-insights-hub/community-insights-hub-story-library/tottenham-foodbank-empowering-community-resilience-one-parcel-time

Counting on … day 64

16th May 2025

I was particularly struck by the ‘Darn It’ workshop offered by the Totnes Climate Hub. I don’t darn particularly well, but I do darn a lot of things – socks, jumpers, T-shirts etc. By making things last longer, I become less dependent on access to shops for new items.

Repair Cafes are another scheme that can increase local community resilience. 

Find a repair group

Counting on … day 62

14th May 2025

Some communities run climate cafés – “A Climate Café® is an open, inclusive space for people to get together to talk and act on climate change. Climate Cafés® are community led, informal spaces where everyone is welcome to join the conversation and get involved. Climate Cafés® create a space to bring people together from across communities, work places and campuses to focus on solutions. Many people find them inspiring and positive spaces to connect with others.”

Welcome to the Climate Café® Network Hub

Here is an example of a climate café in Oxford – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y70qv87w3o

Counting on … Day 61

13th May 2025

In the face of present and future risks arising from the climate crisis, are there things that we can do as local communities? 

During the covid pandemic, we were amazed at the way people pulled together sharing resources – lending books and DVDs, sharing home baked goods – picking up medicines and foods for each other, organising socially distanced local activities. 

Are there similar things we could do vis a vis adapting to the changing climate?