A 52-year-old father of three has spent £6,000 over the past year preparing for a potential disaster, filling his shelter with hundreds of tins, power banks and night-vision goggles. Brian Forbes wants to have enough supplies to last him and his family for 25 years in case disaster strikes.
Forbes, an engineer surveyor, has been part of the 'prepping' community for the last 16 years. The movement has gained traction in recent years, with many people deciding to 'prep' after the pandemic. The UK Preppers Club, an online group for the community, has now reached over 16,000 members.
Shelter packed with supplies
Forbes built a small shelter at his home between Glasgow and Stirling, Scotland, which he has filled with medical, food and communication supplies. He is equipped for disaster scenarios, from war to environmental catastrophe, but says his main worry is a crumbling power grid.
His wife, Donna, 51, is on board with the lifestyle, which has cost him £6,000 in 2026. Their three children, aged 15, 27 and 29, are not.
Forbes said: "The spending has gone up this year, because I perceive the risk as higher. We have a lot of risk, like a crumbling power grid and water shortages. 40,000 people were on bottled water for a month this year."
He added: "These are things you can prep for. I've probably spent around £6,000 so far this year. I've spent around £2,500 on freeze dry foods, £2,000 on power banks, £500 on a new generator."
Started prepping after bad winter
Forbes first started prepping in 2010 after Scotland experienced a particularly bad winter. He described how roads were gridlocked, people slept in cars overnight and had to be rescued by police, and shops weren't making deliveries.
"I had to walk a mile to the local supermarket, and most of the staff hadn't turned up. There was one person at the till, and queues down all three aisles of the shop. People were getting pretty animated. Tempers were fraying," he said.
"I felt bad that my kids didn't have a lot in the house. I decided from then it would be a good idea to stock up on unplanned emergency."
His tactic was to add to his supplies little and often. By the time Covid hit, he had three months of food in the house for everyone, which meant they could avoid bulk buying and queuing for supermarkets.
Main worry is power grid
The pandemic reinforced his belief in prepping, and now his main worry is a crumbling power grid. He said: "With electric cars and lorries and heat pumps, the UK power grid is under particular stress. I don't see a fix in the near future."
He added: "There is conflict all over the world and there has been since I was born. Other countries' problems can be our problems too. Now we're seeing an increase in fuel, and a bad crop yield because of the weather we've had. But as far as bombs dropping from the sky any time soon, I can't prep for things I can't do anything about. I think a zombie apocalypse and tinfoil hats are just nonsensical."
Last year, Forbes built two sheds in his garden to store emergency supplies, costing around £5,000. One shed is 14 ft by 12 ft and packed with food tins, army ration 24-hour meal-in-a-bags, rice, pasta and flour that should last up to 25 years. It has its own solar panels, air conditioning and power supply.
Alongside food and water, he has invested in specialist equipment including high frequency radios, eight walkie talkies, wind up radios, battery operated FM radios, lanterns, headtorches, 12 power banks and night-vision goggles. He said: "The goggles aren't for hunting people, obviously. They're just for power cuts in general. It means you don't have to walk around with a torch."
Forbes said his wife supports his prepping lifestyle, though she was very sceptical at first. His children, however, are less understanding. He said: "They think dad's nuts, dad's crazy, he's lost his marbles. They go to great lengths to tell me why I'm wrong - I may well be wrong but it's ultimately my money and time."
"I do no harm to anyone else. I only need to be right once. Whether they think I'm right or wrong, I have a responsibility to care for them and I take that pretty seriously."
