An event held by the North Wales Resilience Forum has provided an opportunity to celebrate and share information about the work that voluntary organisations can carry out in response to an emergency.

The event which included representatives from organisations such as the Red Cross, Mountain Rescue, RNLI and many more, outlined the services that the voluntary sector can provide in terms of planning and responding to an emergency.

The regional event also provided an opportunity to discuss the contribution voluntary organisation can offer as part of recovery from a major emergency incident.

Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard who is Chair of the North Wales Resilience Forum said: “Whilst organisations such as the emergency services, local authorities and health boards have frameworks in place to plan and deal with major emergencies, the voluntary sector has an important role to play in supporting these statutory bodies.

“The voluntary sector can provide a wide range of skills and services in responding to an emergency, from practical support such as first aid, access to specialist equipment, to support with counselling as required.

“We know that engaging with voluntary organisations in preparing for potential emergencies in terms of planning, training and exercising can only benefit how we respond in the event of an emergency. 

“This regional event provided an excellent opportunity for those organisations that have statutory responsibilities to better understand the services that the voluntary sector can provide and allow us to build on the relationships that are already in place on a local level. Many thanks to all who were involved in arranging the event”

The North Wales Emergency Voluntary Sector Capabilities event was organised by the Regional Resilience Forum. The forum, brings together the key organisations who have a statutory responsibility to respond to or cooperate with other organisations in the event of an incident.