Emergencies Partnership organisations brace for cold night helping communities as week of severe weather continues
Volunteers from charities, community and faith groups are ready today for another push tonight in response to a week of freezing weather, rain, snow and flooding, which has swept across England and the rest of the UK since the start of this year.
The voluntary and community sector (VCS) has been working closely with colleagues in local councils, the emergency services, the NHS and social care, providing an integrated response to the continuing extreme weather. Teams are poised for temperatures to drop to -16 in parts of Scotland and northern England tonight. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in partnership with the Met Office, has issued a cold weather health alert which runs until Tuesday (14 January).
Tonight’s icy blast comes at the end of a week of busy partnership working for the diverse set of organisations that make up the VCS Emergencies Partnership, which exists to connect voluntary, community and public sector partners before, during and after emergencies, so people and communities are at the heart of the response, from the start.
The year is still young but already in 2025, partners have been busy supporting communities up and down the country including;
Councils activating Severe Weather Emergency Protocols (SWEPs), coordinating emergency responses and providing shelter for homeless people in places like London, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Rutland, where major incidents were called
NHS and social care teams working hard to provide care amid spikes in winter flu and increasing winter pressures on hospitals
Emergency services teams rescuing people from flooding and other dangerous weather-related situations across the country and pumping flood water away from homes and utilities
Volunteers from charities like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, REACT, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Homeless Link and hundreds of community and faith sector partners delivering essential supplies, supporting people who are homeless, staffing rest centres and opening up community buildings, like Didsbury Mosque, to provide sanctuary and emotional support for displaced residents.
People most at risk
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) says cold weather disproportionately impacts people who are older (aged 65 and above), have cardiovascular (heart and circulation) conditions, respiratory conditions, mental health conditions or learning or physical disabilities, as well as children (particularly those under five), pregnant women and people on low incomes.
Jon Vangorph, head of partnerships at the VCS Emergencies Partnership, says: “Focussing on the people, communities and groups that could be most vulnerable is really important during emergencies and knowing who those people are, establishing trust, and supporting them in a way that makes a difference to them, is vital. Whether you’re a paid member of staff for a local authority or a volunteer giving your own time through a charity or local community group, we’d like to thank every single person who has been out in the adverse conditions, working alongside their partners to support others. It really is a team effort.”
Further support for partners
Support to connect - If you need specific support, or help plugging gaps in your local network, please contact us via our request for support page
Further information and resources
The UKHSA has created this simple poster partners can share with their networks, containing cold weather advice for the public.
Our website’s resource hub has a wealth of winter weather information and advice from the Emergencies Partnership, the government and our specialist partners. It includes advice for the public, resources useful for voluntary, community and faith sector partners and local authorities and other Local Resilience Forum members, as well as links to the latest Government guidance on emergencies.
More about the Emergencies Partnership
The VCS Emergencies Partnership connects voluntary, community and public sector partners before, during and after emergencies, so people and communities are always at the heart, from the start.
We are a leading force for resilience-building across England, bringing more than 300 partner organisations together to build trust, share knowledge and learn skills so we offer better support to people affected by emergencies.
For more information, or to join us, contact info@vcsep.org.uk
