Just as the UK’s first Wildfire Resilience Summit was in session to see how the country can improve prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in the face of increasing climate-related risks, VodafoneThree, in partnership with National Parks UK and the Cairngorms National Park, has launched a wildfire resilience programme to support recovery from recent wildfire damage and help strengthen the landscape’s resilience to future fires.
In summer 2026, a devastating fire broke out in the Cairngorms National Park, impacting thousands of hectares of treasured landscapes, including ancient Caledonian pine forest, heathland and mountain habitats. Technology played a critical part in the response, including the use of thermal imaging drones to guide firefighting activity and monitor hotspots.
In 2025, the Fylingdales Moor wildfire began in late June 2025, and wasn’t formally closed until six months later. The fire affected around 20 square kilometres of the North York Moors National Park, becoming one of the largest and most prolonged incidents ever faced in the area.
The programme is designed to support practical measures designed to better understand the impact of wildfires and strengthen resilience across the Cairngorms landscape. This includes ecological monitoring and spatial mapping to assess burn severity and identify habitats and landscape features that helped slow or stop the spread of fire, helping inform future land management approaches.
The announcement also supports a wider package of measures unveiled at the UK government’s Wildfire Resilience Summit, including investment in landscape resilience, enhanced equipment for firefighters, stronger wildfire preparedness planning and greater use of technology to improve prevention and response capabilities.
The project will also support the creation and management of ponds that can provide accessible water sources for firefighting while delivering wider environmental benefits, alongside retaining and enhancing firebreaks created during the wildfire response. Insights gained through the programme will help build understanding of effective resilience measures that could inform future approaches to preparing landscapes for wildfire risk.
VodafoneThree joined other organisations at the summit to explore how innovation, connectivity and data can contribute to stronger national resilience. The initiative forms part of VodafoneThree’s stated commitment, through its Everyone Connected strategy, to support community resilience and climate adaptation through connectivity, partnerships and technologies such as environmental monitoring and data-driven insights.
These are seen as being able to help improve situational awareness, support informed decision-making and strengthen preparedness. It builds on the company’s work with the National Emergencies Trust, National Parks UK and Vodafone Foundation’s Instant Network to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and extreme weather events.
“As climate-related risks become more frequent and severe, collaboration will be essential to protecting some of the UK’s most important natural assets and the communities that depend on them,” said Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at VodafoneThree.
“Together with National Parks UK and the Cairngorms National Park, we’re launching a new programme that will support recovery from recent wildfire damage while helping strengthen resilience to future fires. Connectivity can play an important role in emergency preparedness and response, and this programme demonstrates how technology, local expertise and long-term commitment can come together to support communities facing changing climate.”
Cairngorms National Park Authority chief executive Grant Moir added: “We welcome the support from VodafoneThree and look forward to working with them and National Parks across the UK to explore how technology can go further in helping us tackle the threat of wildfires.”
