The Angus Community Resilience Roadshow drew in more than 100 people who were keen to find out more about how to be prepared in the event of serious or significant incidents.
Organised by Angus Council’s Vibrant Communities Team the tour was supported by Angus Rural Partnership, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Rural Community-Led Local Development Fund 2024-25, part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme and SSEN.
The roadshow recently visited Arbroath, Brechin, Kirriemuir, and Montrose. Having toured more rural areas previously, the roadshow wanted to attract interest from more urban areas to emphasise that preparation and resilience is for town as well as country.
It was attended by many organisations including The Red Cross, Fire Service, SEPA, SSEN, Police Scotland, Trading Standards, Angus Housing Association, Scottish Neighbourhood Watch, Protecting People Angus, local community resilience groups, Angus Council Flood and Resilience Teams and Communities Officers. Scottish Flood Forum attended with Flo the Flood Bus.
Communities Convener, Tommy Stewart said: “Our Vibrant Communities Team recognise the importance of our people and communities in Angus being as prepared as they possibly can be in the event of an emergency.
“We all have a responsibility, collectively and as individuals to be ready for unplanned events and emergency situations. The roadshow was a fantastic opportunity for people to speak directly with the professionals, volunteers and existing local resilience groups.
“Many of those who came along were taken aback and reassured by the number of organisations that are out there to support communities when crisis or adversity strikes. It gave them the chance to engage and consult about what’s required when it comes to personal and community resilience and raised the possibility of them developing a resilience group in their own community.
“If you haven’t been able to make it along to a roadshow so far, I would urge you to go to our website and check out the valuable information we have there on Community Resilience.”
A limited number of free grab bags proved very popular with attendees and helped them to consider what items they would need in an emergency. A grab bag is an essential part of being prepared and the ones handed out contained items, including a power bank for mobile devices, a pen, notepad and torch.
Defibrillator demonstrations were well-received and there was a prize draw at each location for a household resilience box, with some of the items supplied by Asda.