PEOPLE living and working in East Lothian are being asked to share their weather-related stories.

This is part of a project examining the impacts of climate change across south-east Scotland and how to respond to them.

The initiative is led by the charity Sniffer, in partnership with six local authorities, including East Lothian Council.

The project aims to assess the risks and opportunities from climate change for south-east Scotland, guiding necessary actions and producing a risk assessment.

READ MORE: PICTURE GALLERY: Storm Arwen brings devastation to East Lothian

The project will help to ensure that the responses meet the needs of communities and help build their resilience.

Storm Arwen caused devastation at John Muir Country Park in 2021 (Image: East Lothian Council) Cat Payne, senior climate resilience manager at Sniffer, said: “As we look at the risks and opportunities south-east Scotland is facing from climate change, it is really important that we hear from local people about how our increasingly unpredictable and extreme climate is affecting them.

"Communities know the places they care about best.

"They are the ones witnessing how weather affects them and how this might be changing over time."

READ MORE: Huge hole in harbour wall as stormy conditions hit town

East Lothian has already felt the impact of climate change through recent extreme weather events.

These include the high tides and storm on October 30, 2023, which damaged North Berwick harbour wall, and Storm Arwen in November 2021, which caused extensive damage, including the felling of a large number of trees at Hedderwick, near West Barns.

READ MORE: Storm Arwen: John Muir Country Park 'completely devastated'

The summer of 2022 also saw a sustained period of heat above 30 degrees and water scarcity warnings.

More extreme weather, including hotter, drier summers, wetter winters and rising sea levels, is expected in the future.

The project is gathering evidence of these changes and assessing the region's preparedness for them.

This is being done through a formal call for organisations, sectors and communities to share any assessments they have done on these issues, as well as an online story map asking people to contribute to their experiences.

The story map is open until December 20 and stories can be added at climatereadyses.commonplace.is/en-GB/map/climate-ready-south-east-scotland-story-map

People are encouraged to share their experiences of how weather is affecting their communities, day-to-day lives and livelihoods.

Stories can be added to the map by searching for the location of where it occurred or placing a pin on it, and then answering a few short questions about it. Photos can also be added.

Ms Payne added: “We’re asking for people to share their experiences with us, whether it be flash flooding on local roads or parks, buildings needing more regular maintenance, changes at the coast from high tides and storms, or summer heat making places of work uncomfortable – if the climate is affecting you, your community, your place, we want to know about it.

"Please take a moment to let us know about it by adding your experiences to our story map."