Community Drop-In Event in Whitby Following Summer Moorland Fires

A community drop-in event is taking place in Whitby today, designed to support individuals and businesses affected by the recent summer moorland fires.

The event, hosted by North Yorkshire Council, aims to provide a platform for community recovery, feedback, and access to necessary support services.

The recovery drop-in event is scheduled for Monday 20 October, running from 2pm to 7pm, at the Whitby Pavilion. Attendees do not need to book in advance.

Matthew Robinson, head of resilience and emergencies at North Yorkshire Council, explained that the event is intended for those most impacted by the incident, as well as the wider community seeking answers or wishing to share their experiences.

Mr Robinson highlighted the diverse groups affected:

"There is specific conversations going on with those that were most affected, those land owners where their moorland was burned, the businesses that were very close, those that had to be evacuated because of the major incidents.

There's also businesses that were affected by the road closures. There were communities that were living and sadly briefing this for a period of time and they've not had the opportunity to come forward and have their conversations, tell their stories.

So, this is our first community event. is open for everyone.

There may be people sat there who feel like there are stories that haven't been told, that there are unsung heroes that need to be brought forward, but also they may have their own concerns, they may have their own anxiety about what occurred, but also questions about this recovery".

While primarily focused on directly impacted parties, such as land owners, farmers, and businesses, the council encourages all residents who felt the effects of the incident to attend.

Mr Robinson emphasised the broad scope of the invitation:

"This is aimed at those that were primarily affected by it. So the land owners, reactive farmers, the businesses, those secondary businesses that were affected by our road closures, if they want to come along, please do and have the conversation.

But there are our residents who for a long period of time had seen this out of their windows.

Their windows were probably closed. Their doors were closed and that may have had an impact on them. So we would like anyone who feels that their story has not been told or that they want to have further information to please come along.

So, this is for everyone who doesn't feel like they've had an opportunity to say their bit.

We are doing this in Whitby Pavilion. This is our first big community event, but it's not going to be our only one. There will be other local events that are happening".

A range of responder and support organisations involved in the fire recovery work will be present to offer information and advice. These bodies include North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, North Yorkshire Council, North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire Police, and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

Attendees will be able to access support covering safety, business recovery, and environmental concerns. Public health teams will also be available, alongside voluntary and community sector groups, to assist with health and well-being inquiries.

Matthew Robinson detailed the specific expertise available at the drop-in:

"The support that's available. There's the safety, the business, and the environmental support. So, there'll be fire and rescue there. Police will be there alongside the North York Moors Park authority, alongside the National Farmers Union, and members from the economic development teams are on hand to have questions asked.

There may be some health and well-being questions that people have got. So, public health teams alongside some of our voluntary and community sector will be there to support.

People may have concerns about elderly relatives, around children, so again, the specialist services will be there and then there's the wider community engagement teams".

Crucially, the drop-in event also forms part of a wider learning exercise for the responding organisations.

Mr Robinson confirmed the importance of community input for future resilience planning:

"We want to learn from this incident, there's lessons that need to be identified and this gives members of public, it gives individuals, it gives businesses, it gives the wider community the chance to come and talk to the respondent organizations and let us know how they think it went because we want to take that into our learning, not just for for North Yorkshire, but there are other areas which may be susceptible for wildfires. So, there is us listening to those that turn up".

The drop-in event will take place at Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby YO21 3EN from 2pm to 7pm today (October 20th). Free parking for attendees will be available at Pavilion Drive and Pavilion Top car parks.