COMMUNITY representatives from local, parish and district councils across Devon met on November 10 at Fingle Glen, Tedburn St Mary, in the name of community resilience.

All set to “Be Prepared” and “Be Resilient”, there was a great atmosphere at the Devon Community Resilience Forum Inaugural event, which was attended by more than 100 delegates and specialist suppliers.

Elaine Cook, CEO, Devon Communities Together, was Master of Ceremonies and introduced a number of professional speakers and emergency response experts, including Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Netherton, Devon and Cornwall Police who spoke on the context and importance of resilience; Dom Maxwell Batten, chairman of Devon Community Resilience Forum, who spoke about the background, structure and overview of the forum; Mary Dhonau, MDA Consultants – “Queen of Floods”, who spoke about community experiences and impact of resilience work.

The final speaker was Matt Herdman, Operations Watch Manager, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, who spoke about dramatic community examples and impact of resilience.

Following a sociable luncheon, where delegates had plenty of opportunity to share their experiences and visit stall holders in the Marketplace, all delegates took part in workshops, designed to inform and offer advice on emergency planning from the beginner to the experienced.

Facilitators reported a huge turnout for the afternoon workshops, facilitated by Devon Communities Together, the Environment Agency, Teignbridge District Council, Plymouth City Council and Devon County Council and represented by the communities of Braunton, Tiverton, Feniton and Brixham, who generously took time off from their daily responsibilities to share their knowledge and experience of Emergency Planning with less experienced communities.

At the conclusion of the conference, Elaine encouraged delegates to pass the word and the opportunity to join the Forum to their neighbouring communities and announced to the Forum details of a new Resilience Grant being delivered together with Devon Community Foundation, plus details on the future training activities being developed.

There was a community atmosphere throughout the day and the next forum event planned is to be held in May, 2016.

Delegates and exhibitors wishing to attend the next event can register their interest by emailing: [email protected] .