When I first ventured out into the surprisingly secretive world of community prepping UK facebook groups and online forums I expected to find a plethora of knife wielding anarchists, rubbing their hands ready to watch the world burn from their underground bunkers. The reality of what I found was much more heart warming; families and people ready to share what materials and skills they have with their villages. 

I wanted a story about doomsday preppers. However after my first interview with Graham Wood, aged 72, a retired management consultant from north-west Cheshire; I knew that this story was going to take a different form; he explained to me:

‘The Rambo style lone wolf survivalist doesn’t survive very long. And if he does survive he’s not thriving. Whereas if you can get involved in a community, communities are much stronger. Humans evolved to live in communities. As individuals we are quite vulnerable, as a community we are resilient.’ 

His awareness of emergency situations was first noted by himself at about 10 years old during the Cuban Missile Crisis. ‘I know my parents, specifically my mum – it scared the shit out of my mum at the time. I thought that we could have been in a completely different scenario.’ Graham explained to me ‘it probably was the initial thing that got me thinking about ‘well what would we do if…’’. 

Graham took me under his wing at the start of my research for this article. We’d exchanged a few facebook messages, as he was one of the only replies I’d got from the numerous messages I’d sent out. I woke up a couple of days before our scheduled interview to a message that read;

‘I’ve seen some adverse comments about journalists in various “prepper” FB groups this morning. 

Some have mentioned you by name. 

I told them that in these difficult times there are many ordinary issues and problems that a “prepper” way of thinking can make their families more resilient to such impacts. 

I said to them I was willing to talk with you. 

Hope you’re ok and that my trust in you is justified.’ 

I was quite touched. I never got to see the comments made about me as I’m assuming I got removed from these groups as quickly as I joined, but I was intrigued by the covertness of it all.

The first thing I will tell you about ‘prepping’ is the last thing Graham told me, he warned against ‘calling it prepping; because of the zombie apocalypse branding. People immediately brand it as being that sort of thing and that attracts the wrong sort of person. The sort of thing I’ve been doing is family resilience’ 

‘Family resilience’ means a family or a communities’ preparations and efforts to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties. I wondered ‘but what are these family resilience groups actually preparing for?’ Because in my time talking to Graham I heard no mention of fear mongering nor any mention of the end of the world. Being an avid News At Ten watcher myself I felt silly asking the question as soon as it left my lips, the answer was obvious: 

‘The political status is just getting worse.’ 

He tells me that, just this morning on Sky News, France was to distribute a ‘survival manual’ which included scenarios with armed conflict, and promised to send me the news article after our meeting. After the meeting when I did read the article I found out Sweden issued similar 

 ‘Cold War’ style leaflets in October 2024. 

‘The temperatures are up and there’s a lack of water. And that brings in physical biological stresses and allows things like funguses and parasites to attack the tree’s. Things will change. Things will change.’ 

Graham told me how he’s helped implement ‘family resilience’ in his village by petitioning the local council to grant some land to use as allotment space for members of his village who didn’t have gardens suitable for growing food. Or securing the funding to put solar panels on the roof of their community centre to not only power it but also create a profit to go back into it. 

‘I talk with quite a few mental health groups, because if things get bad mental health will be a big issue. People just aren’t used to dealing with that kind of stress.’ 

He tells me about how he’s a trained mental health first aider and warns of the dangers of relying on online outlets for mental health as if SHTF (shit hits the fan) the internet is always the first to go. 

I’m wondering what I can do, it all seems so much harder when you’re in the city. My local council budget is rinsed before they’ve even got it. 

‘Make sure you find and have contacts with people in a wide group, probably in a wide age range as well, so look for families with children because that then opens you up into all of their contacts in school and things. Look for older people, believe it or not we’re a bit decrepit but we’ve got a shit load of knowledge and experience to share if things go wrong.’

After the call ends I’m left thinking; if disaster struck could I offer anything practical to my community? Could my community of friends and family offer anything themselves? Perhaps we could identify a few types of mushroom or cultivate certain plants but how far would that get us. 

My next port of contact appeared a bit more of a survivalist; Leigh Price based in mid Wales and owner of The Bug Out UK. For those not in the know the term ‘Bug out/Bug in’ is used within the prepper community, Leigh explains:

‘Bugging In is basically staying at home or a safe location with supplies and waiting it out until things get back to normal. Now if you feel that staying in this location is no longer safe to do so then you Bug Out to another location, taking with you some supplies’

The Bug Out UK is an online outlet that I had found reference to in almost every Preppers group that let me in. Supplying the UK with it all, from meal kits to crossbows. It’s everything your dad wishes he had in his shed. Leigh has even started putting on ‘The Bug Out Weekender’, a camp out for like minded individuals to meet up and gain a better sense of community. 

From the looks of Leigh, an ex army veteran offering survivalist courses, I was expecting a ‘lone rambo type’ like Graham warned me about. However I was a little surprised when he too offered the same rhetoric:

‘Community is key as you never know when you need someone’s help or vice versa. Plus you can also share knowledge, communications and supplies’.

I asked him if there’s anything he’s prepping for, considering the extent of his kit I was expecting quite a dramatic answer.

‘Nothing in particular but as we have seen a few years ago, you never know what is around the corner and the way the world is at the moment. I’d rather be prepared for anything.’

He follows up with ‘you only have to look at history to give you an idea of what’s to come – it usually repeats itself. There will be more authoritarianism in governments as they look to bring in more controls on people’s freedoms; digital IDs, CBDCs and restrictions on travel but I’m hoping they will see sense and leave people to get on with their lives without government intervention’.

To put some context to what Leigh just said, CBDC is a central bank digital currency meaning a new form of currency that only exists online, a digital coin, is not tied to a physical commodity like gold or silver. The Bank of England is currently considering whether to take on the digital pound. 

I’ve reflected a lot on the covid years throughout writing this article, and our complete reliance on government aid and direction to survive it. And Covid-19 was something we had some forewarning for; I felt a little naive sitting with my one house plant and uber eats wrappers in the bin.

I asked Leigh for some advice on how I’d get started with prepping or preparedness.

‘Think of a scenario that is more likely to happen to you and your location: is it a risk of flooding, fire, riots, water, electric problems, war or even job insecurity? then think what can you do to combat that. Is it storing a bit of extra food and supplies or maybe a go bag or maybe some financial alternatives. It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it’

Since my time indulging in the prepping world, I have in fact invested in some essentials that could help me or my community, they could also come in handy on a hike. I purchased an emergency whistle and heat blanket, a first aid kit, several maps and books on foraging and a Leatherman survival tool that several middle aged men have already called ‘a real piece of kit’. I feel better having it. A phrase I kept hearing throughout my exploration of UK preppers was ‘it’s just common sense’, I feel inclined to agree.