Frequently asked questions

Ready Together is a free toolkit from the National Emergencies Trust. It gives communities practical ways to prepare for emergencies using the people, places, skills and resources they already have.

It is about what communities can do to prepare and help each other, alongside the work of councils, emergency services and other organisations.

Ready Together is for people and groups across the UK who want to help their community prepare for emergencies. Any kind of community group can get involved, including sports clubs, faith groups, youth groups, residents’ associations and many others.

We encourage different groups in the same neighbourhood to work together, bringing their knowledge, connections and resources together to create plans that work for the whole community.

You do not need emergency planning experience to use this toolkit, and you can use Ready Together in the way that works for your community.

A community can be based on a place, shared interest, identity or connection.

It could be a group of neighbours, a sports club, faith group, youth group, voluntary organisation, online network or something else.

Every community is different, and Ready Together is flexible to reflect this, so you can use it in the way that works best for yours.

Yes. You can use Ready Together to start a conversation with people around you, beginning with neighbours, friends or a group you already know.

Before getting started, it’s worth checking whether there are already groups or plans in your local area that you can connect with. Building on what already exists can avoid duplication and make your community better prepared.

Ready Together is designed to be worked through with others, rather than on your own. Bringing people together to share knowledge, skills and resources is at the heart of the toolkit.

You don’t need to belong to a formal emergency planning group or have any previous experience.

Yes. Ready Together is designed for communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Emergency planning works slightly differently depending on where you live, so you should use Ready Together alongside the official advice and local arrangements that apply.

Yes. Ready Together is free to use.

You can use the core toolkit without creating an account. If you’d like to save your progress and come back to it later, you can create a free account.

Start with the part of Ready Together that feels most useful to your community. Work through the practical guidance together and choose the activities that make sense for you.

You don’t need to work through the toolkit in order, or do everything. Different groups can focus on different areas, depending on their strengths, interests and what they already do. Keep in touch and bring your plans together where it is useful.

There’s no single right place to start. You can begin small and come back to other parts of the toolkit when you’re ready.

Ready Together has eight modules:

• Working together with other groups
• Money
• Supplies
• Supporting people with additional needs
• Skills
• Communications
• Places and Spaces
• Events

Each module gives practical guidance to help your community prepare, respond and recover.

There are also downloadable resources to help your community plan.

No. There is no fixed order, and you don’t need to complete everything. Use the themes and activities that are most useful to your community and come back to others when you’re ready.

Your group can also share responsibility with other community groups in your area, with different groups taking the lead on different modules. Keep each other updated and bring your plans together so everyone understands what to do in an emergency.

No. You can read the guidance, use activities and download standard resources without an account.

If you use Ready Together without an account, your progress will not be saved.

Yes.

Ready Together includes standard resources that you can download and use with your community.

You do not need an account to download standard resources.

No.

Ready Together helps communities prepare and support each other. It does not replace the emergency services, councils or other official responders.

During an emergency, follow instructions from the official responders in your area.

Do not create detailed lists of people who may need additional help, think about the types of support people may need instead.

Avoid storing names, medical information, detailed home addresses, access codes or other sensitive information.

If your group needs personal information for a clear reason, follow data protection law. Only keep the information you need.

Ready Together is led by the National Emergencies Trust, an independent UK charity that supports people affected by national emergencies. Through this work, we have seen first-hand how important communities can be in an emergency – and how much knowledge, experience and willingness to help already exists locally.

Ready Together brings this experience together with extensive research led by Nottingham Trent University into what helps communities prepare.

Read about the research behind Ready Together to find out more about the evidence supporting the toolkit.

Contact Ready Together if you need more information. We will help you find the right information or guidance.