We had a record attendance at the event this year, welcoming 150 people to join us and learn more about community resilience. Highlights of the day included the Keynote speech by Mary Long-Dhonau, known as Flood Mary, and the presentation of our annual Community Resilience Awards. The photos below give a flavour of the day and you will also find some of the presenters materials and information available at the bottom of the page.
Delegates enjoying the keynote speech by Mary Long-Dhonau
Resilience Day delegates visiting the Flood Pod to learn more about Property Flood Resilience
Resilience Day delegates attending a community-led workshop
We had a fantastic selection of workshops and talks at the event this year. You can access some of the presentations and supporting materials by clicking on the links below.
Community Flood Action Fund presentation
Blackford Parish Energy Resilience Presentation
Oake Parish Community Emergency Plan presentation
Oake Parish Emergency Plan example
Floods Hints and Tips 1 Oake EP
Riparian Ownership Workshop – Somerset Prepared
Digital Switchover information
Spaxton Parish watercourse mapping for resilience presentation
Flood Mary – Property Flood Resilience talk at Cornwall Community Flood Forum
The day also featured the Somerset Prepared Community Resilience Awards. Our winners and runners-up this year impressed the judges with their commitment, energy, and drive to make a difference in their communities. The words of Robert Drewett, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, encapsulate what these awards are all about and give a wonderful flavour of the achievements of those nominated.
“Communities can often be unprepared for sudden emergencies such as flooding and so the need for volunteers who recognise the danger and are both proactive in seeking to pre-empt it and in responding to an event as it unfolds are critical. Of course all of the various government and local services are there to support, but in a situation where their resources can be stretched, you can’t over-stress the importance of locally based individuals and groups.
I am always reminded of the famous quote from J F Kennedy
“My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
I am a firm believer that volunteering is one of the best things that you can do. Not only is it a way to support your local community, but it’s also an enormously beneficial and rewarding experience. I’m sure that you don’t need me to tell you that, but in case you’re in any doubt, I’m not alone in thinking this.
The King has been very clear about the importance that he attaches to volunteering. His view of service is a strenuous one. Values such as those expressed in the Charter of the Commonwealth – peace and justice; tolerance, respect and solidarity; care for our environment, and for the most vulnerable among us – are, in the King’s view, insufficient unless linked to ‘an imperative to act, and to make a practical difference’.
In 2023 The King’s priorities were outlined simply as the five ‘C’s’:
Communities
Culture
Climate
Church and other faiths
Commonwealth
The Royal Household subsequently published refined Core Values in the 2024 Annual Report, designed to guide the institution in years to come. These define a new expression of purpose, underpinned by a refreshed set of values. The five values are:
Act with Care
Make an Impact
Succeed Together
Stay Curious
Lead by Example
In reading the nominations for these awards I was struck by what great examples of these core values had been displayed by those nominated. Each and every one provided real inspiration, and selecting the winners was no easy task. But that was what we were required to do.”
Individual winner 2024
Lucie Reader (Pitcombe):
Lucie demonstrated exceptional leadership and community engagement and organisation. She effectively brought in EA, Somerset Prepared & EVAG assistance for whole village. All homes are now protected as far as possible and the community is better prepared. Thanks to Lucie a suitable resilience plan for the community now exists and the community is better prepared to respond to a future emergency.
She demonstrated significant commitment to flood response and ongoing prevention and mitigation. The nomination suggests the community is more resilient to future flooding and better placed to respond when it does happen. She has mobilised many in the community, including parish council and other key elements.
Individual Runner up 2024
Philip Ham (Spaxton)
Philip performed outstanding individual work in mapping the community flood risk for the parish. He made significant efforts to map and survey on behalf of parish council and walking all 50km of the roads within the parish. Ongoing support likely to be vital in ensuring repair/mitigation work identified in survey is programmed and completed.
Philip shows us the very best of initiative in using professional expertise on behalf of the parish. His support has helped mobilise parish and wider response and likely embedded awareness in future thinking.
Philip Ham being presented with his award by Robert Drewett, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
Group winner 2024
Nunney PC
The councillors carried out really significant work, engaging and mapping within the community individual households to build resilience and emergency care. Defining ‘resilience’ in its broadest definition. Nunney are clearly a wondrful example of what a good parish council should be doing as a matter of course. Responding to key issues and working with residents to improve resilience and through their proactivity are supporting many in the community threatened by flooding or other emergencies.
Winners of the Group Community Resilience Award, Nunney Parish Councillors, being presented with their certificate and prize by Bel Deering at a recent Parish Council meeting.
Group Runner up 2024
YMCA Taunton
Carried out a very thorough examination of community relief needs to determine best course of action, which in this case was the creation of a Community Pantry. They are a great example of a community support charity working on key priorities for the local community. Particularly impressive for presenting issues and embedding actions into business as usual activity. They showed clear willingness to act in a way that demonstrates knowledge of the community in which they operate and the key issues facing it and to respond in a practical but effective manner.
We also presented two special awards to recognise community appreciation for the work of two local individuals. Their citations are given below.
Gareth Varney
Whilst much of the work done by risk management authorities is appreciated by Somerset’s communities and it is, in some ways, unfair to draw attention to one individual, there was one name which came up time and time again in conversations with the public about the Somerset Prepared awards. Gareth Varney, a Technical Specialist within the Environment Agency’s Hydrometry and Telemetry team, has spearheaded the development of an innovative approach to local community-level flood warning systems. This has been in addition to his normal duties and, whilst not working alone, he has gone above and beyond to bring this service to various flood prone communities in Somerset, where it is both delivering the service as designed and supporting mental health by giving additional peace of mind to those who’ve lived through the trauma of flooding..
Here are some words from one of the residents impacted by his work:
“Being a flood victim from the May 2023 flooding of the Cam I cannot express enough how grateful we are for Gareth’s work and tireless support. Also, for high water level events that do not result in emergencies, the alerts provide notice for flood wardens to go out to investigate potential problems. This has already proven to be of great value as some of these problems can only be spotted in a relatively small time window during high rainfall events.”
Given the extent of the appreciation he is held in by so many and for his outstanding contribution to community resilience in the county, we invite him to step forward and receive our recognition and appreciation.
Gareth Varney receiving his award from Deputy Lord Lieutenant Robert Drewett
Gordon Swindells
Gordon is a very dedicated volunteer who has gone above and beyond in helping reduce the impacts of flooding in his community. After a career spent in public life he has spent 10 years as the volunteer flooding coordinator for Martock. Gordon coordinates a team of volunteers, who form one of the most pro-active flood groups in Somerset. Gordon closely monitors conditions in the community and issues regular updates during flooding. He coordinates the team of flood wardens that go out on the ground during flooding, deploying equipment such as hydrosnakes to hold back and redirect floodwater, protecting properties from flooding. He has worked closely with agencies including the police, and was instrumental in a police-backed scheme that allowed community volunteers to close flooded roads for safety. Gordon has tirelessly worked to identify opportunities to reduce the flood risk in Martock, and has played a key role in the construction of natural flood management measures in the catchment. Road safety has always been of utmost importance to Gordon, and he worked with the SRA to enable digital warning signs to be installed in high risk locations in the community. We would like to thank him for all his hard work and commend him for his commitment to flood resilience.