This line from ‘The Boxer’s Guide to Climate Resilience’ particularly resonates with those of us who work in FCRM. Traditionally church halls and other such venues have been hired to engage with the community about their flood risk, and whilst there’s nothing wrong with the venue per-se, this line provides the most insight. 

To help build resilience in our communities we first need to think about how we raise awareness of risk. To be effective and provide a sustainable legacy across society it’s important that we understand what makes up each community we work in.

Every community is different and so we can’t rely on a ‘one size fits all’ approach. For example, we should consider if hiring the local hall is effective if the community has a higher-than-average population of families. The parents will be busy collecting children from school, getting food prepared and homework complete. 

Instead, armed with the knowledge of the demographics, there needs to be a greater portfolio of tools and resources available to engage. Later in the performance, the chief protagonist Jo, reflects on how communities can be a valuable source of inspiration.