The People’s Emergency Briefing inspires community action
According to The People’s Emergency Briefing screenings map, community groups, village halls, parish councils and businesses have led over 100 screenings across Somerset. The 50-minute film draws on last year’s National Emergency Briefing in London, where 9 experts examined the climate and nature crisis, its impacts on health, security and food, and the urgent action needed.
One community, Compton Dundon, has shown the film twice. The local host shared the following account for SEEN after the village’s second screening and community discussion. One younger attendee asked:
“What is the point of everything we’re doing if there isn’t a planet to do it on?”
The second screening was as well attended as the first and prompted another wide-ranging discussion about practical action.
Participants discussed the following priorities and ideas:
- Talk to friends, family, neighbours and colleagues about the film, encouraging them to attend or organise screenings, including at work.
- Ask MPs, Somerset councillors, political parties and the government to support a national public briefing on the crisis, its implications and the action needed.
- Make changes in gardens, homes and daily life to support nature, reduce environmental impacts and prepare for future challenges.
- Support each other to achieve more, particularly through gardening, transport and solar energy projects.
- Work together to access guidance and funding for community projects, particularly flood resilience.
- Encourage existing parish groups to take action and share their progress.
- Create a resilience page in the parish magazine.
- Hold a village resilience event, inviting organisations and groups from neighbouring villages to share their experiences.
- Participants also heard that a version of the film for younger viewers is being produced.
The discussion highlighted local interest in building resilience by sharing knowledge, celebrating existing work and exploring community projects. Early ideas included:
- A wilder gardens project
- A community electric vehicle (EV) car club
- EV charging at the village hall
- A cost-effective community solar panel scheme
- Wind power on parish land
- Community water boreholes
- A group exploring local bus travel
- More tree planting across the parish
- An agroforestry trial on parish or private land
- A hedgehog box-making event
- A parish nest box scheme
- A parish bug hotel scheme
- A bee garden in the community orchard
- A community vegetable garden on the allotments
- A vegetarian recipe board in the village hall
Compton Dundon Parish Council is already working to reduce flooding around the village and welcomes collaboration on other resilience projects and links with action groups.
Other communities that have screened The People’s Emergency Briefing are also forming resilience steering groups or themed action groups. If yours is among them, we’d love to share your stories and projects in SEEN. Email climateemergency@somerset.gov.uk.