London Resilience Newsletter - September 2025
Welcome to the September 2025 edition of the London Resilience Newsletter.
As we head toward the end of the year, we reflect on an eventful summer that included a cyber attack on Heathrow, four heatwave periods, and a continuation of anti-migrant activity culminating in the largest far-right protest in a decade.
We acknowledge the horrific attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester on 2nd October last week and the suspected arson attack on Peacehaven Mosque in Sussex. Our thoughts are with those affected. We also mark today’s anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza. We recognise the horror, pain and hurt experienced by many of our communities in London.
ProtectUK have issued advice and signposted support. We ask all our partners and stakeholders to remain alert, but not alarmed. The UK threat from terrorism remains at ‘substantial’ meaning an attack is likely. Relevant advice and guidance can be found on ProtectUK.
In September, the Mayor released a statement of inclusion with Londoners. Now, more than ever, we need our communities to come together to support one another, welcome those displaced by conflict and help to tackle the rise in hatred and violence against marginalised communities in London and across the country.
We are grateful for the efforts of our colleagues and partners in London boroughs and community-led organisations working in extremely challenging times to provide vital support to London’s migrant communities.
London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) have a variety of resources on anti-migrant hostility, to support the voluntary, community and faith sector due to concerns around anti-migrant protests and the potential for escalation. You can also read our report on cohesion from Protection Approaches on Building resilient communities: The case for social cohesion, which was published last year.
September was Preparedness Month. We’ve been sharing tips and advice through our BlueSky and X channels, as part of the #30days30ways campaign. Follow us to stay up to date with the latest from the world of Resilience – including campaigns, funding, launches and news!
Introducing London Resilient Communities – Join the movement!
We’re excited to announce the London Resilient Communities — an ambitious new programme designed to empower communities and strengthen resilience across the capital.
What is London Resilient Communities?
This new programme builds on the London Community Resilience Toolkit and pilot work on Community Resilience Hubs. It offers practical support, training, and small grant funding to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Find out how you can get involved and work together to build a more resilient London.
Upcoming event
We are holding an event specifically for the Faith Sector on Tuesday 28th October 10.00am - 11.00am. You can sign up here.
This programme is delivered by Groundwork, British Red Cross, and London Resilience.
Let’s work together to build a more resilient London - one community at a time.
Join London Resilient Communities
Cool Spaces and Dementia Friendly Spaces – the power of collaboration
To mark both World Alzheimer’s month, which took place over September, and also World Alzheimer’s Day on 21st September, we recently published a blog highlighting the Cool Spaces and Dementia Friendly Spaces initiatives and how when combines, they can help to form powerful community spaces. You can read more here, and sign up to both programmes. https://www.dementiauk.org/information-and-support/world-alzheimers-month/
As the UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) heatwave planning season comes to an end, we are glad to share that summer 2025 saw the highest number of GLA registered Cool Spaces on record, at 250. Thanks to all the local libraries as well as community, faith, sports and cultural organisations that registered with us to support Londoners over the warmer months and a number of heatwaves.
If you would like to continue support your community over the winter months, please consider register your venue with the Warm Welcome campaign.
NHS winter vaccination campaign
DHSC’s latest press release focusses on its preparations for winter and confirms the marketing stream of the flu campaign launched on 22 September. The first encourages pregnant women to ‘Stay strong. Get vaccinated’ for flu, RSV and whooping cough.
A reminder that there is a Winter Health Stakeholder Communications Toolkit 2025/26, developed jointly by UKHSA and NHS England, designed to help with your planning for communicating about seasonal vaccines. This will be updated in the coming weeks with materials to support the marketing campaign.
The toolkit can be found on Google Drive.
Vaccine animations for GRT community
Friends, Families and Travellers, in partnership with UKHSA and the Roma Support Group (RSG), have produced a series of short animations with key information on vaccinations for the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) community.
These resources focus on childhood and maternal vaccination as well as measles and whooping cough. Please share them locally as required. If you would like more information about the project, please read the methodology report.
Back to school vaccination drive
New UKHSA data reveals that 18.6% of children (almost 1 in 5) have not received their pre-school booster vaccination, leaving them vulnerable to serious diseases including polio, whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria when starting primary school.
A new communications toolkit has been produced to support stakeholders to encourage parents whose children (0-5 years old) have missed, or may miss, a vaccine, to get their children vaccinated.
Please download the toolkit on the Campaign Resource Centre
Radiation Webinar on 23rd October
Join an eye-opening session behind the scenes of UKHSA's specialist radiation work.
Discover how emergency response teams coordinate rapid responses during radiation incidents, explore groundbreaking research partnerships, and learn about fresh approaches to communicating complex radiation risks to the public, including our new 'Living with Radiation' document.
Whether you're a health professional, researcher, or simply curious about keeping communities safe, this session offers valuable insights into work that directly impacts public health nationwide.
Register now via Microsoft Forms (recorded if you can't attend live).
Stay up to date with the latest City Hall Health and Wellbeing news
Supporting London’s communities to stay healthy and well is something we can all play our part in. If you’d like to know more about the latest health news and opportunities from City Hall and its stakeholders, sign up to the Health & Wellbeing bulletin or follow the City Hall Health account on Bluesky and X.
Training, Funding and Opportunities
London Boroughs Faiths Network (LBFN) job opportunity
London Boroughs Faiths Network (LBFN) are recruiting for a fixed-term Resilience Manager who will focus on managing the resilience area of their work. For more information please contact Steve Miller.
Community Resilience Assembly 2025
The Climate Resilience Assembly, taking place on 5th and 6th November 2025 at University College London, is a hands-on, peer-to-peer learning event where community practitioners, organisers, and local leaders share their lived experiences—their successes, challenges, and practical tips—with others starting or scaling their journey.
This unique event will convene a specially curated group of 80 participants – 60 community change makers and 20 young leaders from UCL – for a powerful exchange of knowledge and intergenerational collaboration. If you are ready to share, learn, and help build our city's collective resilience, we invite you to apply.
This event is delivered in collaboration between the Islington Climate Centre and University College London (UCL) Students' Union, and made possible by the generous support of the Greater London Authority (GLA) London Resilience Unit and the Network for Social Change.
Community Workshop on Heat Risk in London
- the impacts of extreme heat on different social groups
- the current people-focused initiatives tackling heat in London
- new opportunities for heat-resilience within and between voluntary, community, and faith sector organisations in London.
Take part in Exercise Tempest
Join us for Exercise Tempest on Tuesday 4 November, 09:00am–12:00pm, in central London.
The session will bring together business networks, Borough Resilience Forums (BRFs) and partner organisations to discuss response coordination during a major disruptive event.
A Met Office briefing will set the scene with the latest insights before we simulate a severe winter storm in London, triggering multiple cascading failures and interdependent risks.
This in-person scenario exercise offers an opportunity to examine how BRFs, business networks/BIDs and partner organisations can strengthen communications and support local business preparation and recovery through a significant disruption event.
Common Ground Award now open
SAFE (Security Advice For Everyone) are running a series of one-hour free security webinars and in-person talks on a variety of topics. Their current schedule is shown below, by month:
October - online
- 9th at 7.30pm, A Practical Walk Through Martyn’s Law (Martyn’s Law with an emphasis on Standard Duty Premises), with the Shree Prajapati Association UK
- 21st at 2.00pm, A Practical Walk Through Martyn’s Law (Martyn’s Law with an emphasis on Standard Duty Premises), with the Congregational Federation
- 29th at 2.00pm, Conflict Management (communication, spotting escalation and de-escalation techniques)
- 30th at 2.00pm Safeguarding Awareness (introduction to safeguarding and how you can play your part), with the Charity Commission
- 23rd at 10.00am, A Practical Walk Through Martyn’s Law (The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025) at Neuven Stadium, Manchester – register on Eventbrite.
- 28th at 10.00am, Incels – Villain, victim, or both? (what is the Incel culture and what is its impact on young men and VAWG) at Neuven Stadium, Manchester – register on Eventbrite.
- 4th at 6.00pm, Incels (asking the question - are they villains or victims?)
- 13th at 2.00pm, Hostile Reconnaissance (the information gathering phase of attack planning)
- 25th at 2.00pm, Online Security (protecting yourself and your community from online threats), with MOPAC: the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime
You can see, and register for, all up-coming webinars here: https://bit.ly/SAFEZoomHub.
The toolkit offers practical information and guidance to help communities better prepare for and respond to future challenges and emergencies. Training workshops and support for the toolkit will be announced soon.