A Devon charity is set to hold an online event next month to inform residents on how they can improve community strategies against climate change.
The event will be held between November 14-16 to offer information on how communities get the latest facts and figures on climate change, implement strategies to deal with climate-related emergencies such as flooding and share knowledge and tips on how to adapt to extreme temperatures.
Laura Dixon, project manager for Devon Communities Together, which has organised the event, said: ‘In May this year we held our first in-person forum event for several years; attendees said how much they appreciated the opportunity to network with other groups and discuss the important issue of resilience.
‘This winter event is online to give the chance for more people to attend, and for us to run a greater variety of sessions; there will be plenty of time for discussion and questions after the presentations.
‘These sessions are perfect for emergency planning groups, parish and town councils, flood wardens and anyone else who is involved in supporting communities in emergency situations.’
The event will be held on Zoom over the three days, including evenings, and will also be recorded so those who cannot attend can catch up afterwards.
The event is being run by the Devon Community Resilience Forum and funded by Devon County Council and the Environment Agency in order to support communities to develop their Community Emergency Plan, which is a document organised by the local community to identify ways that they might use local resources to deal with emergencies.
Devon Communities Together is an independent charitable company which provides support to Devon communities with dealing with the cost of living crisis, providing information on grant funding opportunities, supporting enterprises and businesses, helping to reduce fuel poverty, providing opportunities for young people in danger of becoming unemployed and supporting community buildings.
It was founded in 1961 and is also part of Action with Communities in Rural England, a charity which works to provide rural communities with the same opportunities enjoyed by those in urban areas.
Devon Community Resilience Forum supports communities to develop their community emergency plan which are also uploaded to a secure website where they can be viewed by the emergency services, so that they will be able to understand how the community may already be responding, where there is high risk, and what resources are available to the community.
It also supports communities to apply for grants to fund their plan, provides access to training in case of emergencies and provides up-to-date information on environmental problems that might affect communities.
Alongside supporting plan development the forum also runs twice yearly forum events in the spring and winter to help increase resilience and network with other communities.
Anyone wishing for more information should visit www.devoncommunities.org.uk/projects/devon-community-resilience-forum.