London Resilient Communities

Registration is now open for Session 1 of the London Resilient Communities webinar series:
Prepare – Understanding the London Resilience Context, taking place on Thursday the 29th of January 2026, 1pm-2pm.

This free webinar is open to community organisations, and anyone interested in strengthening community resilience. The session will explore how London’s communities can prepare for climate change, weather warnings, and other hazards, including an overview of key risks facing London and how the resilience system works.

The session will be led by Jesse Noon (Communities Prepared) and Mark Rogers (Met Office), with contributions from the London Resilience Unit and the Greater London Authority.

This second session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series focuses on the building blocks of effective community resilience. It explores what makes a strong and inclusive resilience network, how to understand your local ecosystem, and how existing assets and relationships can be mobilised to strengthen preparedness. 

Led by Violaine Drapeau from Communities Prepared, the session will cover stakeholder mapping, barriers to engagement and their impact on resilience, and asset mapping as a way to recognise and build on community strengths, with a guest contribution from Sulafa Abushal, Strategic Policy Lead at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, on building strong resilience partnerships in practice. 

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners across London. 

How can communities turn preparedness into a clear and practical plan?

This third session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series focuses on the practical steps of developing and activating a Community Emergency Plan. It explores how to move from ideas to a structured, actionable plan that supports communities before, during and after an emergency.

Led by Violaine Drapeau from Communities Prepared, the session will cover a simple 9-step approach to Community Emergency Planning. Participants will also hear about practical examples of turning plans into actions.

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across London and beyond.

What can we learn from international approaches to building community resilience?

The fourth session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series explores how communities beyond the UK are responding to climate risks and strengthening resilience at the local level. This special session brings an international perspective, offering fresh insights, transferable ideas, and inspiration for communities looking to adapt and grow their own approaches.

Join Cate Mingoya-LaFortune, Chief Officer of Climate Resilience and Land Use at Groundwork USA as she digs into why things are the way they are, what to do about it, and how Groundwork USA, an American nonprofit working across 21 cities, is building resident capacity to effect lasting change at the hyperlocal level through their Climate Safe Neighborhoods partnership.

2025 was one of the hottest years on record, and while conversations about a warming planet have long centered on the impacts felt in wild spaces, urban places are experiencing extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. The impacts of the climate crisis are widespread, but some communities, especially those without the resources to quickly bounce back, are getting hit earlier and harder than others, and that’s no accident!

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across and outside London.

What role can community resilience hubs play in an effective emergency response?

What role can community venues play in effective emergency response?

Session five of the London Resilient Communities webinar series introduces the foundations of Community Resilience Hubs and how local venues can play a vital role when emergencies occur.

This session will help community organisations, local venues, and neighbourhood partners understand what a Community Resilience Hub is, why it matters, and the practical steps involved in getting your venue ready to activate. Learn tips for turning your venue into a Community Resilience Hub that supports residents, shares reliable information, and helps coordinate local efforts during an emergency.

Led by the British Red Cross, the session will cover the purpose and set-up of a Hub, key roles and responsibilities, and how to ensure your space is inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. Participants will also hear real examples of hubs in action, showcasing what works well and the common challenges to plan for.

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across and outside London.

How can communities support the response to a range of climate-related risks?

The sixth session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series explores how communities can support responses to different types of climate risks, from heatwaves and flooding to storms and other extreme weather events. It focuses on practical approaches that can be adapted to different local contexts and evolving risks.

Led by Violaine Drapeau from Communities Prepared, this session will draw on a range of case studies to explore what effective community response looks like in practice. Participants will reflect on key learnings and consider how approaches can be adapted locally to strengthen response efforts across different climate risks, working alongside statutory services. The session will highlight transferable strategies, common challenges, and opportunities to support coordinated, community-led action during emergencies.

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across and outside London.

How can scenario exercises help communities prepare for real-life emergencies?

The seventh session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series explores how practicing emergency scenarios (e.g. heatwave, civil unrest, power outage) can bring people together, build confidence, and strengthen local preparedness. Scenario exercises offer a hands-on, engaging way for communities to test their plans, spot gaps, and grow more resilient before a real crisis hits.

Led by Katherine Hill from the British Red Cross, the session will share how to design meaningful community exercises, create realistic scenarios, and involve local partners. You will also hear inspiring real-world examples of communities learning, adapting, and becoming stronger through practice.

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across and outside London.

What can we learn from international approaches to understanding vulnerability and adapting to climate risks?

The final session of the London Resilient Communities webinar series explores how communities across different geographies are approaching climate resilience through a social and community-focused lens. This special session brings an international perspective, offering insights, emerging practices, and reflections to help inform local action in diverse contexts.

Join Jo Healy, Senior Associate at BECA in New Zealand, as she shares insights from her work on community vulnerability and adaptation. Drawing on a range of experiences, she will explore key challenges communities are facing, approaches to understanding and assessing vulnerability, and how inclusive, community-led processes can support more equitable and effective adaptation over time.

Open to community groups, volunteers, local authorities, and partners from across and outside London.