We are a community-led group helping Alston Moor residents stay safe and resilient during emergencies.
To provide timely information, support and resources to our community during power cuts, extreme weather and other emergencies.
A group of local volunteers, council members and emergency responders working together to keep Alston Moor safe.
We believe in the power of community spirit. By looking out for one another, we can overcome any challenge.
Alston is one of the highest market towns in England, and extreme weather is nothing new on Alston Moor. For generations, people here have pulled together when the snow comes in or the power goes off.
When almost everyone knew each other, it was easy to know who needed a hand. Our community has grown and changed, and many people have moved here more recently. Today, making sure nobody is missed takes some planning in advance.
The Beast from the East in 2018 made that clear. Then, in March 2020, news came in that the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading from Italy and other countries towards the UK, if it had not already arrived. As a small, remote community, we knew we would need to look after ourselves. AMERG was set up on 23 March 2020.
We set up:
Once people knew how to use Zoom, local groups could keep going. Alston WI and the Parish Council both met online, and Parish Council Chairman Raymond Miller ran a general knowledge quiz every week. It all helped people stay in touch, keep up with news, and not feel lonely or isolated.
We kept up this intensive support for over a year. This included foodbank deliveries at Christmas, with food kindly donated by Morrisons in Penrith.
AMERG has carried on. We supported the community through Storm Arwen in November 2021, when power cuts lasted for weeks, and through power cuts in high winds since then.
We bought three generators, one for each of our emergency hubs: Alston Town Hall, Nenthead Village Hall and Garrigill Village Hall.
This website was created as a central hub for information and support. Whether you need to find an emergency hub, report an issue, or check the latest weather warnings, we are here to help.
We work closely with local emergency services, the parish council and community groups to make sure no one is left behind when disaster strikes.
A short slide guide to the group and this website – what it offers, how to get help, and how to volunteer.
Two free directories for Alston, Nenthead, Garrigill and the surrounding villages and farms. Find what you need, and add your own.
The document library includes the monthly community bulletin, bus timetables, templates for new groups and our Emergency Response Checklist.
Local businesses, traders and services based in or serving Alston Moor.
Anyone can add a group, event, news story or document to the Community Directory, or suggest a business for the Business Directory. You do not need an account. Just fill in a short form, and each entry is checked before it goes live.
Both directories link back to this website, so AMERG is easy to find when you need us.
