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The three key action areas in Belfast City Council's'Resilience' strategy have been named as climate, children and young people, and connectivity.

People from across the city joined Lord Mayor Daniel Baker at Portview Trade Centre in East Belfast for an event on Thursday.

It was an opportunity for feedback on the council's draft resilience strategy which is out for public consultation.

Lord Mayor of Belfast Daniel Baker said: "Our aim as a council is to show leadership on taking the necessary actions to ensure we have a city that is resilient to future shocks and stresses – those we know are coming and can be prepared for, like the impact of climate change, and those which are unexpected.

"Resilience is a word that gets used a lot and it has been really interesting to hear from people today, from a range of backgrounds and disciplines, about what resilience means to them.

"From a council perspective, we want to be able to deliver our Belfast Agenda and that could be compromised unless we are preparing for risks, and building our resilience to be able to withstand shocks such as flooding or cyber-attacks, or stresses on our city such as the prevalence of mental ill health in communities right across the city."

Preparing for climate change is high on the agenda.

Councillor Baker added: "Climate change has reached a point where we need to make urgent and concerted efforts to understand and prepare for its impact.

"Our goal is to transition Belfast to an inclusive, low carbon, climate resilient economy within a generation, so there is work to be done; but today I have been encouraged by the will that exists - not just by our city partners – but by communities and individuals who are committed to taking action and helping us to achieve our aims.

"There are many ways we can build our resilience as a city – being flexible, creating a sense of shared ownership, being integrated and inclusive in our approach, and being resourceful when it comes to problem solving.”

The draft strategy can be viewed here: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/resilientbelfast.