Calm before the storm?

Things have seemed to have quietened down this week and I’m not sure if I’m being lulled into a false sense of security.

I really appreciate calmer times to get back on track, especially coming after a very busy few weeks of training, meetings and the Share and Learn network event. The Share and Learn was themed around community resilience in an emergency, very topical following our fourth named storm of the year. It was so interesting to hear about the journey a village hall has been on after they were left without power for a week following storm Arwen in 2021 and how they planned to do things differently next time.

The attendees were very vocal and really keen to talk about their own experiences, getting into the spirit of the meeting. It can sometimes be difficult to get people to share (even though they are all very keen to learn). We’re now putting together plans for 2024 and already have some exciting topics lined up.

The week culminated in a bit of volunteering for me and Helen at Lumiere. This is my second time volunteering for the festival and it was another great experience. It was wonderful to speak to the other volunteers, some who had travelled quite a distance to take part. Luckily the weather was kind to us and although I did end up with cold feet, it was nothing a hot chocolate couldn’t cure.