Guest Blog by Rebecca Armstrong The Hearth CIC
A free public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing will take place at MeCycle Café & Bike workshop in Ainsdale Village in Southport on Thursday 21st May at 6.30pm, followed by a facilitated community discussion.
The screening forms part of a growing UK-wide programme of events designed to help ensure that both the public and decision-makers are clearly and honestly informed about the climate and nature crisis – and what it may mean for communities across the country.
In November 2025, more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media gathered at Westminster Central Hall for the National Emergency Briefing – a landmark event bringing together leading experts to assess the UK’s exposure to climate and nature risks.
The briefing, introduced by Chris Packham CBE, set out the implications of climate and nature breakdown for food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security, alongside evidence-based actions that could reduce these risks.
This national event has now been adapted into a 50-minute public film, The People’s Emergency Briefing, which launched nationwide on 7th April 2026 and is now being screened in communities across the UK.
The film brings together leading scientists to present a clear picture of the challenges ahead, while creating space for local communities to consider what these issues may mean in their local area, and how they can support their MP to call for stronger action.
Chris Packham said:
“I’d encourage people everywhere to attend a screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing. It creates exactly the kind of honest local conversation we now urgently need, both about what these changes mean where we live, and about what we can do together to address them.”
In Southport, the screening comes at a time of direct local relevance. Sefton’s own Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy identifies the Southport to Ainsdale coastline as one of the borough’s highest flood risk areas.
The town’s famous beach is visibly changing — the dune system has accreted significantly, with vegetation colonising the foreshore as part of a deliberate strategy to use natural coastal buffers as flood defence.
For many residents, this greening of the beach raises real questions about the future of the coastline and what the climate means for their town.
Beach water quality remains a live concern too, with United Utilities currently midway through a £50 million upgrade to Southport’s Wastewater Treatment Works to reduce storm overflow frequency along the Sefton Coast.
Many local homes remain poorly insulated and costly to heat, and like communities across the UK, Southport residents are increasingly aware of the risks posed by disruption to food supply chains.
The film speaks directly to all of these concerns.
Following the film, attendees will be invited to take part in a structured discussion, designed to support open, constructive conversation about the issues raised and what they may mean locally. Organisers emphasise that the event is intended as a civic space, bringing together residents, community leaders and decision-makers.
Local MPs, councillors and other influential people have been invited to attend and take part in this important community event.
Rebecca Armstrong, one of the event organisers, said:
“This is about creating space for people to come together, look at the evidence, and begin a more open and informed conversation about what it means for our community – and how we can support the bolder action now called for by the science, which will also do so much to improve lives, as the film explains.”
With screenings taking place nationwide, local events form part of a broader effort to build a shared understanding of climate and nature risks across the UK, and to support constructive public dialogue about future choices.
Tickets for the Mecycle screening are free, but advance registration is encouraged. Eventbrite tickets here: The People’s Emergency Briefing — Southport Community Screening Tickets, Thursday, May 21 • 6:30 PM – 9 PM | Eventbrite
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown or email: [email protected]
