Hi, I'm Ranhilda. I'm a meteorologist at the Manx Climate Resilience Centre. My job’s about much more than telling people about the weather. I work with scientists, ecologists and engineers, helping our Island prepare and adapt to whatever our changing climate brings. 

Today we're in the wetlands, visiting a Community Curragh restoration project. It protects ancient stores of carbon, slows floodwater before it reaches the towns and villages, and creates a haven for wildlife and people. Let’s head down the boardwalk here and meet some of the families and volunteers involved. Meeting so many people who care is my favourite part of the job. This team is helping to remove invasive species and over there you can see the ditch clearing, that’s hard work! 

About twenty years ago, the weather stopped being Manx small talk. It became a source of friction, then fear. We weren't ready. At first, we tried buying our way out of the problem, fans for the heat, pumps for the floods. But buying more only made things worse. We needed nature on our side. 

The turning point came when communities started working together. I still remember people visiting my school when I was fourteen, really listening to how we all felt about the changing world, what it was like to grow up with that. We started learning about solutions too, about working with nature and each other to make change. About the mud flats in our sea, kelp forests, native woodlands, healthy peat bogs and wetlands like this.  

But climate change didn’t just stop the moment we woke up, we had to adapt as well as reduce emissions. Some ideas didn’t catch on, others succeeded, but we learned to accept failure as learning instead of a reason to give up. Our leaders made difficult decisions, guided by science and supported by communities determined to act. Businesses rose to the challenge and cleaned up their own supply chains while investing in local solutions, like the wetland project here.  

We remembered how important getting together and having fun is. The power of a community beach picnic or street party. Now, when I issue a weather warning, neighbours already know who might need help. Children grow up learning that resilience comes from looking after each other and our beautiful Island. My greatest achievement might be helping to shape the long-term climate strategy for our Island, full of facts, figures, technology and innovation, but my personal win is belonging to a community that knows its greatest strength will never be technology alone. It will always be each other.