Climate Resilience | Communities Prepared

At Groundwork Greater Manchester, we believe climate resilience is about more than just coping, it’s about thriving. That’s why we’ve been working with communities in Rochdale to strengthen resilience in the face of growing climate challenges like flooding, heatwaves, and power outages.

What is Climate Resilience?

There are five pillars that make up a climate resilient community:

Human
Physical
Social
Environmental
Financial

Together, they help communities prepare for and recover from climate-related impacts, not just by bouncing back, but by moving forward stronger.

What does a Climate Resilient Community look like?

In a resilient community, people have access to quality healthcare, education, and services. They also have strong social networks with neighbours looking out for each other and working together to solve shared challenges. Green spaces play a vital role too, when they’re rich in biodiversity and better able to withstand extreme weather.

Why does Climate Resilience matter?

We’re seeing the effects of climate change here and now. Communities like Littleborough in Rochdale have experienced both flooding and heatwaves this year alone and these events are only going to increase.

That’s why we’re having open conversations to understand what people are experiencing and what support they need. We’ve already had some really valuable conversations and people are sharing their concerns for a changing climate:

I am feeling the effects of climate change now, the hotter weather affects me – we need lots of fans and things to keep people cool.
Anonymous, collected at the Feel Good Family Picnic in Middleton 30th July 2025

The Communities Prepared Rochdale project is a key part of this work. It’s about bringing together residents, schools, community centres, and local organisations to share knowledge, make plans, and take action, before emergencies happen.