About

London over its history has faced a wide number of hazards, emergencies, and challenges. Climate change is increasing the likelihood and complexity of the situations we will face tomorrow, from extreme heat to increases in flooding. We need to find sustainable ways to mitigate these challenges; that’s where Building Resilience in Greater London comes in, working with local people to support climate impacts like flooding.

Over 8million people live in London; our diverse communities come from all over the UK and the world. This means that emergencies from other places outside of our city can directly impact our communities here, including conflicts and disasters. 

Growing Community Resilience

As a large and complex city, London experiences emergencies, shocks, challenges and stresses all the time. The London Resilience Partnership has over 180 members and partners, bringing together emergency services, local authorities, the NHS, expert organisations, businesses, voluntary organisations, and faith partners. 

In London we want to grow community resilience across the city; the means in which communities can work with other agencies to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises. We understand the importance and value of trusted community leaders. 

Our local authorities and the London Resilience team have worked closely with British Red Cross (BRC) for several years, including when BRC chaired our Voluntary Sector Panel. Developing our relationship with Communities Prepared (Groundwork South), our team became aware of the Building Resilience Together project and were keen to become a partner. We were attracted by the opportunity to join forces, share our expertise and learning, to enable us to better support communities to build their resilience. 

Impact

London joined the Building Resilience Together project in 2023. The London Resilience team and the BRT team agreed to a partnership of training, support, and piloting with community, faith, and local authority partners right across the city. 

We have undertaken a wide range of work together including: 

• 22 of our local authority and community infrastructure partners have taken part in training workshops on either community emergency planning or community emergency volunteering 

• Piloted work to create a Community Resilience Hub in collaboration with Havering Volunteer Centre and Havering Council

• Worked with London Boroughs Faiths Network and the London Resilience Faith and Belief Sector Panel to support the training of more than 80 faith leaders on community resilience

Partners from across London have learnt so much, London has benefitted greatly from this joint work together. We have had a lot of positive feedback from those who have been able to access training, resources, or support from the Building Resilience Together project.  

Sustainable City Resilience

Over the last few years our partnership has grown even stronger, and we are working with British Red Cross and Communities Prepared (Groundwork South) on an ongoing basis.  

We have commissioned further work including: 

• The development of the first ever London Community Resilience Toolkit, which includes guidance and support on community mapping, community emergency planning, climate action, and community emergency volunteering, 

• Further piloting of Community Resilience Hubs in Barking and Dagenham, Haringey, and Hackney, co-developing a future model on hubs for London, 

• Continued support on delivering training workshops for local authority and community infrastructure partners, 

• The development of a Community Resilience Hubs mobilisation pack, to enable other partners to use this to become hubs. 

The new London Community Resilience Toolkit and Community Resilience Hubs work will be core to our new community resilience work in London over the coming years ahead. We will continue to promote offers and support from both British Red Cross and Communities Prepared.