What is Community Resilience?

Community Resilience starts with personal resilience.  In some of our communities they have chosen to further develop their personal resilience and now have community resilience teams.  In Ayrshire we currently have three groups:

Largs Community Resilience Team is the longest running group and has been operational since 2014.  They are very well known and supported within their community and assist with stewarding at community events.  They were very active in assisting NHS Ayrshire and Arran with the flu and Covid vaccination centres and they have also been delivering prescriptions, shopping and meals throughout the Covid pandemic.  They have supported the local communities in Largs and the neighbouring towns of Fairlie and Skelmorlie.  The team have been activated to support the communities in severe weather, they assisted the Ambulance Service during the Beast from the East, clearing snow to allow an ambulance access to a patient, taking paramedics to a patient in 4x4 vehicles and clearing 9ft snowdrifts to enable a doctor to get to a remote cottage where the occupant was seriously unwell.  They have supported the community during heavy rains each winter, supplying sand bags and volunteers to divert water from properties.

The Largs team have a significant amount of equipment and resources available to assist the local authority and other partners.  They have equipment to set up temporary rest centres or welfare centres for Emergency Services, providing hot drinks in rural locations by utilising their marquee, generator and mobile command trailer.

The Largs team carry out monthly training where they cover topics like, Fire Aid, Missing Persons, Radio Communications, Rest Centre Management and several other topics.  

Carrick Resilience Team have been established since 2019.  They are made up of 20 volunteers from all walks of life that live within Carrick and aim to assist members of the public and other emergency services with logistical and welfare support.  With increased risk of extreme weather and circumstances where remote locations or uneven terrain are involved, the public and the emergency and voluntary services often find themselves without the correct vehicles / equipment / training to complete their tasks.  The Carrick Resilience Team aims to provide valuable logistical support and, when necessary, welfare support to the general public and core emergency responders during operationally challenging circumstances and prolonged incidents.

Cumbrae Community Resilience Team have been going since 2020 (following the disbanding of the previous group).  This group grew from the Millport Support Group which was established at the start of Covid 19 and when the Resilience Team were ceasing to operate they agreed to take it over.  They have assisted a number of stranded passengers over the summer.

If your community wants to consider starting your own Community Resilience Team please contact us on acct@south-ayrshire.gov.uk in the first instance and a member of the team will call you to discuss further.