REACT Contributes to National Conversation on UK Resilience

REACT Disaster Response has contributed to a national discussion on how the UK prepares for and responds to crises, with our Chair, Sir Charlie Stickland, providing oral evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on National Resilience.

The session brought together representatives from across the voluntary, community and faith sectors to examine how the UK can better understand vulnerability, strengthen community resilience, and make more effective use of the capability that already exists across the system.

Communities at the centre of resilience

One theme ran consistently throughout the discussion: in any emergency, communities are both the first to respond and the last to recover.

Across the UK, individuals, local groups and businesses step forward in moments of crisis. The challenge is not a lack of willingness to help, it is ensuring that effort is coordinated, effective, and connected into the wider response.

REACT exists to help close that gap.

We maintain a trained, tested and trusted network of volunteer Responders who can deploy at pace, integrate with emergency services and partners, and support those most in need. By doing so, we help relieve pressure on Category 1 and 2 responders, allowing them to focus on their core roles while we strengthen the wider response around them.

From readiness to impact

Effective resilience depends on readiness. Having people, systems and partnerships in place before an incident occurs allows for faster, more targeted action when it matters most.

REACT’s model is built on this principle, maintaining a deployable capability that can act quickly, adapt to need, and integrate with others to deliver practical impact on the ground.

As risks become more complex and more frequent, this kind of coordinated, community-connected response is increasingly important.

Working in partnership to strengthen the system

REACT is already embedded within the UK’s resilience architecture, but our ambition is to go further, scaling our national capability, deepening integration with partners, and increasing the number of trained volunteer hours available to support high-priority risks.

A key part of this is partnership beyond the traditional response system.

Through our Community Resilience Champions programme, we are working with businesses across the UK to play a practical role in strengthening the communities they serve—before, during and after crises.

This includes supporting preparedness, enabling staff to contribute meaningfully during incidents, and connecting organisational capability into the wider national effort.

Get involved

Building a more resilient UK requires a collective effort.

If your organisation is interested in playing a practical role in strengthening community resilience, we would welcome the opportunity to work together.

To find out more or start a conversation, please contact: [email protected]