With extreme weather events happening all the more frequently, and two named storms in the UK already this season, Loch Ken Trust are pleased be continuing our community resilience work on our Climate Ready Glenkens project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see the Loch Ken Trust Ranger Service working with communities in the Glenkens on resilience planning.
The Climate Ready Glenkens Project has seen a mock scenario test event, community resilience conferences, extended ranger rural watch patrols in the communities, and building a store of shared community resilience resources. The Loch Ken Trust Ranger Service is one of the first community-led ranger service in Scotland and has been regularly patrolling Loch Ken since it’s launch in 2021, ensuring the loch and surrounding area is better cared for.
The increase in both frequency and severity of natural hazards in recent years has coincided with a steady reduction in resources and capacity to address these hazards. This situation hits remote rural communities especially hard, as they represent some of the smallest, hardest to reach communities anywhere in Scotland.
Loch Ken Trust worked on a research project with the National Centre for Resilience in 2023 which explored benefits of a community-based organisation supporting communities to develop their resilience plans. It also looked at effective ways for neighbouring communities to support each other.
An output of this project was the completion of a research report which can be viewed on the link below.
Building Resilience Capacity in Remote Rural Communities
Loch Ken Trust Research Report- Spring 2023
Loch Ken Trust Head Ranger Leanne Pumpr said “ We are very excited to be continuing our resilience work in the Glenkens and are enjoying working with our communities. We would love members of the community to get involved and think about practical ways they can prepare for extreme weather events. We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to support our communities to be prepared for the challenges to come”
Storm Eowyn recently caused significant disruption across the region with heavy rain, high winds and snow causing travel chaos and power outages. With these events predicted to happen more and more in the future, it is vital that our communities, especially in remote rural areas, have robust plans in place.
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