Why Titchfield Is Hosting the People’s Emergency Briefing
There’s a question that sits behind a lot of what EcoTitchfield does: how do we have an honest conversation about climate and nature with our community — not in a way that overwhelms or alienates, but in a way that feels real, local, and genuinely useful?
The People’s Emergency Briefing feels like exactly the right way to start that conversation.
What is the People’s Emergency Briefing?
Last November, a group of leading UK experts presented a clear, evidence-based picture of how climate change is already affecting the UK — and what lies ahead — directly to MPs in Parliament. That work became the National Emergency Briefing. The People’s Emergency Briefing is the accessible film version of that briefing, created so that communities across the country can hear the same honest, expert picture — not filtered through politics or headlines, but presented clearly and directly, just as it was to Parliament.
It is, in short, the briefing that our elected representatives received — now brought to village halls like ours.
Coming to Titchfield on 5th May
On Tuesday 5th May, Titchfield Village Hall will host a screening of that film, followed by an open discussion as part of this nationwide series of community events. We’re fortunate to be joined by two excellent speakers: Professor Denise Baden, whose work sits at the intersection of climate, storytelling, and behaviour change, and Katy Gary from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, who brings deep knowledge of what is happening to our local nature — and what we can do about it.
The format is deliberately accessible. You don’t need to be an expert or an activist to come. You just need to be curious about what’s happening and willing to be part of a local conversation about it.
Why now, and why here?
Titchfield is a community with deep roots — in its history, its landscape, and its sense of community. It’s also a community, like so many across Hampshire, that is beginning to feel the edges of changes that will only grow more significant in the years ahead.
Flooding risk is increasing across the region. The wildlife that defines our local landscape — the birds, the insects, the wildflowers that fill the verges and water meadows around Titchfield Haven — is under sustained pressure. The decisions being made now, at local, national, and international level, will shape what this part of Hampshire looks and feels like for the next generation.
These aren’t abstract issues. They’re questions about our homes, our gardens, our high street, our children’s futures. And they deserve a proper, grounded conversation — not headlines, not political noise, but honest information and the space to think about what it means for us.
What this evening is — and what it isn’t
We want to be clear: this is not a political meeting, and it’s not about taking sides. It’s an opportunity to hear from people who know this subject well, ask questions, and think together about what it means for our community. Everyone is welcome, whatever their starting point.
Part of something bigger
For EcoTitchfield, this evening sits within our wider Greening Campaign — a growing programme of events, workshops, and community initiatives through which we’re trying to build genuine engagement with environmental issues across Titchfield and beyond.
Later this summer, we’ll be launching the Summer of Sunflowers — a Hampshire-wide community growing campaign that connects residents, villages, and organisations across the county through the simple, shared act of growing sunflowers together. The People’s Emergency Briefing is, in a sense, the conversation that gives that kind of action its context and its meaning.
Come and be part of it
Entry is free, with donations welcome (when reserving your seat). Doors open at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start. Seats are limited, so we’d encourage you to book yours in advance at ticketsource.com/ecotitchfield.
We think this is the conversation our community can’t afford to miss. We hope to see you there.
