After the stress of Storm Babet for some people around the UK, it was great to see that serious flooding was narrowly avoided here in the Upper Calder Valley.
Clearly, the work our Trustees, volunteers and partners have done collectively around the catchment since 2016 appear to have had a positive impact and this was very much felt this weekend.
From leaky dam building in Hardcastle Crags, to working with and developing and promoting Natural Flood Management (NFM) policies and schemes with The Environment Agency, Calderdale Council, the Calder Rivers Trust and the National Trust, we as a community are a lot more prepared and resilient than we have ever been before.
The number of NFM projects here in Calderdale and around the UK continue to be developed, utilised and promoted as a viable, often cheaper and less disruptive than more traditional flood alleviation schemes!
Slow The Flow continue to lead the charge here in Calderdale to reduce flood risk.
There is however so much more to be done by us all as we can all play our part to reduce flood risk!
If you are a landowner in Calderdale and would like to know more about how NFM projects can help to reduce flood risk, you can find more info here – https://news.calderdale.gov.uk/funding-supports-natural-flood-management-in-calderdale/
Couple that with the educational work Slow The Flow have recently developed with primary and secondary schools in KS2 and KS3, the issue of NFM is never far away in the quest to reduce flood risk in our towns and villages.
Our young people will after all continue this quest to utilise and promote NFM so this educational work is critical to the future of fighting flood risk!
If you are a teacher or work in some capacity in education, you must see these free resources which you can access here – https://slowtheflow.net/education-resources/
Written by teachers and designed to fit within the KS2 and KS3 curriculum, with the intention of increasing the awareness of flooding, flood related issues and the use of Natural Flood Management as an option for mitigation against floods. (See below the feedback from some of the children we have been speaking to in the pictures).
Our work continues with our newest project at Broadhead Clough in Cragg Vale which should have a positive impact on the volume of water making its way into Mytholmroyd. This scheme will begin in earnest soon and we are very much looking forward to developing this with our volunteers and partners at The Wildlife Trust.
We will be posting more info soon on the exciting new project.
In the meantime time, if you want to get involved with Slow The Flow, please contact us here – https://slowtheflow.net/contact-us