What Our Community Told Us
By Sophie Tankard, Trustee, Slow The Flow
I am delighted to share that my research paper, Volunteer-Led Natural Flood Management (NFM) in Calderdale, West Yorkshire: Community Perceptions, Perceived Effectiveness and Social Co-Benefits, has recently been published in the Journal of Flood Risk Management.
For me, this paper is particularly special because it focuses on something that often gets overlooked in discussions about Natural Flood Management: the people involved.
Many of us are familiar with the practical side of NFM. We see leaky barriers being installed, trees being planted, monitoring equipment being maintained and volunteers giving up their weekends to support projects across the Calder Valley. We often talk about what these interventions might do for flood risk, water quality and the environment. But what impact does being involved have on the people and communities delivering them?
That was the question at the heart of this research.
The study explored how people connected to Natural Flood Management in Calderdale view its effectiveness and what wider benefits they believe it brings. Unsurprisingly, there was strong support for NFM amongst respondents. However, what stood out most was how often people spoke about benefits beyond flood risk reduction. Participants highlighted improved knowledge and awareness, stronger community connections, opportunities to learn new skills, and a greater connection with the local environment. Volunteers also described positive impacts on wellbeing and mental health.
In many ways, the findings reflect what many of us involved with Slow The Flow already know from experience.
People may initially get involved because they care about flooding, but they often stay involved because of the friendships they build, the sense of purpose they gain and the opportunity to make a positive difference in their local area. Whether it’s spending a day helping with a work party, collecting monitoring data or simply chatting with others who care about the future of our catchment, these experiences can be just as valuable as the physical interventions themselves.
The research also highlighted an interesting point. While respondents generally viewed NFM positively, there was still uncertainty around exactly how much flood risk reduction local interventions provide. Yet this uncertainty did not prevent people from valuing the work. Instead, many recognised that NFM delivers a wide range of environmental and social benefits alongside its role in flood management.
As someone who has volunteered with and served as a trustee of Slow The Flow for many years, I found this particularly encouraging. It suggests that community-led NFM is about much more than structures in streams or hectares of woodland planted. It is also about building stronger, more connected and more resilient communities.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the research and to all the volunteers who have supported Slow The Flow over the years. This paper reflects your experiences, your commitment and the incredible community that has grown around NFM in Calderdale.
If you’d like to read the full paper, you can access it here:
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Do the findings reflect your own experiences of volunteering with Slow The Flow? What do you think is the biggest benefit that community-led Natural Flood Management brings to Calderdale? sophie@slowtheflow.net
