Can communities prepare for emergencies through voluntary organisations, local and national government preparations, and planning regarding essential infrastructure? This seminar brings speakers together from the public, private and third sectors in order to explore their experiences of how communities in the UK and internationally have responded to emergencies – whether caused by the environment, infectious disease, conflicts, terrorism, accidents or negligence, for example. Speakers and the audience will be asked to draw on their own experiences during discussion: to ask how, and whether communities have been equipped to be resilient in the past, and what roles might public engagement, lifelong learning, and collaborative working have in the present and future?