'Having enough food to protect your family during a disaster isn't selfish': Middle-class women prepping for World War III reveal what they really stockpile amid Labour's doomsday guide

Andy Burnham 's Government has warned people in the UK to 'be ready' for a national crisis, urging households to stockpile three days of food and water and start carrying cash. But these middle-class women need no such advice, because they are part of a growing number of professionals already preparing their families for when 'disaster strikes', be that a natural catastrophe or even the start of World War III. Amid conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as cyber attacks and extreme weather, becoming a 'prepper' is a flourishing trend – and not only with middle-aged men who love cargo trousers and boast underground bunkers. Plenty of professional ladies across Britain have now joined the movement, especially since the coronavirus pandemic. Wife and mother-of-one Ana, based in Wales, is one of those prepared women. She has been prepping for years but stepped up her efforts during the Covid lockdowns when she couldn't find baby formula for her newborn. The 41-year-old now has cupboards filled with flour, oats, lentils, beans and other tinned goods, ready to cook from scratch for at least two months, alongside medicine and cleaning supplies. She welcomed the government's advice to the UK - but warned it doesn't go far enough, insisting that households should be encouraged to stockpile seven days worth, or even two weeks, of food and water. 'Having enough food to protect your family during a disruption isn’t selfish,' insisted Ana. She told The Daily Mail: 'There’s also a difference between gradually building a sensible reserve and panic-buying. Plenty of professional ladies across Britain have now joined the prepping movement, especially since the coronavirus pandemic. Wife and mother-of-one Ana (pictured), based in Wales, is one of those prepared women Fellow 'prepper' Dr Sarita Robinson (pictured), an associate dean in the school of psychology and humanities at the University of Lancashire, insisted: 'Prepping should not increase panic and anxiety Your browser does not support iframes. 'In fact, if more households can look after themselves during an emergency, that could leave more support available for those who genuinely need it. Preparedness should also be about helping our neighbours and communities, not just ourselves.' She noted how 'unfortunately, prepping still comes with stereotypes of bunkers and doomsday scenarios, when for most of us it’s simply about being a little more self-reliant,' adding: 'Households should take some responsibility for their own resilience.' However, she called for the government to 'continue investing in the infrastructure and emergency services we all depend upon and start being a little bit more transparent of the challenges ahead, as there are still people that think that current state of the world is just happy and dandy'. Fellow 'prepper' Dr Sarita Robinson, an associate dean in the school of psychology and humanities at the University of Lancashire, insisted: 'Prepping should not increase panic and anxiety. 'It should actually help people to feel reassured that they would be able look after their household without relying on others.' She added: ' Building resilience in the UK like other countries around the world is important. If other countries can do it so can we. The best time to prepare for an emergency is before it starts! During an emergency it's too late.' Sarita started prepping after living in LA for a year in 2004, and experiencing an earthquake. 'It really made me reflect on how quickly the world could change from being safe and predictable to being dangerous and chaotic.' But it was the global outbreak of the coronavirus that finally proved to her friends and family that her prepping over the last 20 years wasn't 'bonkers'. 'Most people are a lot more on board with the prepping now,' said the 50-year-old, from Preston, who's married to a retired computer programmer with two children in their 20s. Noting the rise of female preppers, Sarita said: 'I think since the pandemic more people are aware that things can go wrong quite quickly... the world does seem a little more unpredictable at the moment.' She added: 'I have definitely seen friends and family taking prepping more seriously. I have even been asked for "go bags" (an emergency kit) as Christmas presents!' Dr Sarita Robinson is just one of a growing number of women in the UK who are readying themselves and their families for when 'disaster strikes again' Citing negative stereotypes of 'grumpy middle-aged men surrounded by cans of food or in a bunker', Ana (pictured) insisted: 'I'm not prepping for an apocalypse or zombie invasion' Join the discussion Should the government be urging us to prepare for disasters, or is this fearmongering that risks causing panic? What's your view? Sarita believes that everyone should be a prepper, suggesting that if everyone who can afford to preps, then local governments' limited resources can go straight to vulnerable groups such as the elderly. She added: 'I am hopeful that everyone will undertake some preparations for emergencies, even if it is just updating their first aid training and buying some extra canned food. In the heat of an emergency these things can make a real difference.' Sarita has completed a range of training in order to survive a disaster – including something as simple as first aid, to the more unusual skills such as helicopter underwater evacuation, firefighting and wilderness survival. She revealed that her cupboards are a 'little more packed than most people' and she keeps plastic storage boxes under the stairs with most of the tins and dried packets she has, having around three months of food in her house. Meanwhile, Ana, who has at least 32,000 followers and growing across her Instagram and YouTube accounts, founded the UK Preppers Club on Facebook , which has more than 10,000 members, keeps a 'well-stocked working pantry with everyday foods, including tinned goods, dried ingredients, beans, pulses and ready-to-eat options'. Ana, who also supports food banks, added: 'I also have a medium-term pantry with a few extras of everyday foods and items and a long-term pantry with goods that can last a very long time. 'I also grow and preserve food, which forms part of our household resilience and extra pantry supplies.' All her vehicles have small packs of essentials inside, filled with water, power banks, warm clothing, waterproofs, snacks, a micro cooking stove and a water filter. 'I believe in making use of the space you already have rather than needing a dedicated stockpile room. Cupboards, pantry shelves and other suitable storage spaces can all be useful. 'The important thing is keeping everything organised, stored correctly and rotated. I prefer a working pantry where we regularly use and replace our supplies rather than food sitting forgotten for years. Sarita (pictured) believes that everyone should be a prepper, suggesting that if everyone who can afford to preps, then local governments' limited resources can go straight to vulnerable groups such as the elderly She added: 'I’d really like to emphasise that preparedness shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for people with spare money. 'Some of the most valuable things we can do cost absolutely nothing. Learning useful skills, making a family emergency plan or exchanging contact details with neighbours can all make a difference,' said Ana. She said of the government's guidance: 'I’d like to see clearer quantities and advice on what families should do if toilets stop flushing, heating goes off or they can’t cook. 'Some information is available elsewhere on the website, but I think the main checklist could be more comprehensive. 'Start with what you already have and build gradually and you don’t need expensive survival equipment. Naturally I’d recommend keeping foods you normally eat, including ready-to-eat meals, tinned fish, beans, oatcakes, crackers, nuts and long-life milk. 'Make sure you have enough for proper meals, not just a collection of tins. Alongside food and water, I’d include a manual tin opener, torches, batteries , a power bank, radio, medication, first aid supplies, toilet roll, soap, heavy-duty bin bags, blankets and some cash. 'Most importantly, make a household plan. Ask yourself how you’d feed everyone, keep warm and manage basic hygiene if the power and water stopped tomorrow.' Ana insisted the preppers she knows are just 'ordinary, sane people'. 'Many are women, parents, families, people who simply want stability and security. They are gardeners, cooks, teachers, office workers, nothing like the stereotypes you see in films.' Citing negative stereotypes of 'grumpy middle-aged men surrounded by cans of food or in a bunker,' Ana insisted: 'I'm not prepping for an apocalypse or zombie invasion. 'Most of the things I prepare for are actually very ordinary. Economic pressures, price spikes, supply disruptions, storms, power cuts or simply times when life becomes more difficult financially.' She insisted that preparedness 'is really about softening the impact of unforeseen circumstances, rather than preparing yourself for the end of the world'. 'Having a stocked pantry, knowing how to cook from basic ingredients, growing a little food and understanding where your food comes from - those things create resilience in everyday life and in my eyes that's what prepping truly is,' insisted the mother. Ana continued: 'These are things people did for generations before supermarkets made us rely on weekly shopping. So none of it is a new concept, just a forgotten way of thinking for many.' Likewise, Sarita, who appeared as a psychology expert in Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston on Disney+ recently, insisted: 'Most of the preppers I know are completely normal people.' The mother-of-two revealed that parents of young children make up a lot of the prepping folk she knows. In recent times, mothers across Britain have taken to prepper Facebook groups, asking where to begin when it comes to becoming a 'doomsday prepper'. Sarita suggested buying extra food is a good place to start. ' It's just food that we would normally eat, we just buy extras. So instead of buying a small pack of rice we would buy several kilos at a time. 'The great thing is that this actually works out a lot cheaper in the long run. I think people think you have to do something special when you are stockpiling food but it just isn't the case. 'You should just buy food that you would normally eat but just have a little bit extra each week.' Sarita – who doesn't have a bunker (a house modification some international preppers boast of), but wouldn't be averse to purchasing one if she could – also keeps a supply of over-the-counter medicines, as well as other basics such as water purification tablets, a wind-up radio, a battery pack and power banks for mobile phones. 'It's also important to keep some treats and a good supply of teabags, sugar and some UHT milk. You can recover from most emergencies as long as you have some hot, sweet tea and biscuits available,' added the professional. Ana's guide to preparedness FOOD Ready-to-eat meals, tinned fish, meat, beans and vegetables Crackers, oatcakes, peanut butter, nuts and long-life milk Dried staples such as rice, pasta and oats, if cooking is possible Children’s favourite foods and special dietary requirements WATER At least three litres of drinking water per person per day Additional water for cooking, washing and hygiene, extra two litres per person roughly Clean, food-grade water storage containers Water purification tablets or suitable filter as a backup Extra drinking water for pets HYGIENE Toilet roll, soap, hand sanitiser and wet wipes Toothpaste, toothbrushes and personal hygiene products Heavy-duty bin bags, cleaning supplies and disposable gloves Bucket, secure lid and liners for emergency toilet arrangements if sewage services fail Nappies, sanitary products and other individual essentials POWER & LIGHTING Torches, battery-operated lanterns and spare batteries Fully charged power banks and charging cables Battery-powered or wind-up radio Optional portable power station for essential appliances WARMTH & SAFETY Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing Working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms Emergency contacts written on paper Some cash MEDICAL KIT First aid kit and suitable everyday medicines Essential prescription medications Copies of medication lists