A Flood Preparedness & Resilience Day in Brigstock
On Tuesday 14 July, we were delighted to take part in an event, which invited a group of flood resilience professionals from Defra to Brigstock, Northamptonshire, for a showcase of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) and flood preparedness in action.
Hosted by the team behind the RAIN Project – a Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP) initiative exploring innovative approaches to flood resilience across the Wootton Brook and Harpers Brook catchments – the visit demonstrated how catchment, community and property-level resilience can work hand-in-hand to better prepare communities for future flooding.
The day began at Harpers Court, an independent living scheme for people aged 55+, where we have worked closely alongside RAIN and the housing provider, Amplius, to design and install a comprehensive package of tailored PFR measures. Here, guests saw first-hand how physical resilience measures, resident and community engagement, plus ongoing preparedness have combined to create a more resilient, flood-ready community.
It was a great opportunity to show visitors around key areas of the the building, including a room used to store vital mobility equipment, as well as the main operating facility that houses the heating works and lift shaft. Here we were able to show the additional pumps and barriers installed taking into account these important assets.
Wet Tests - PFR in Action
One of the highlights of the morning was a series of live wet tests, giving the Defra team the opportunity to see the measures performing as they are intended to during a flood event. We demonstrated a flood window protecting one of the apartments, before carrying out a second wet test at an external flood barrier, where the test area was filled with 600mm of water. There was also the opportunity for visitors to get hands-on, with volunteers stepping forward to install a flood barrier themselves and experience just how quickly and easily it can be deployed.
Flood Preparedness
We also explained how residents across the RAIN Project are being supported beyond the physical installation of PFR measures with the Resilico Connect app. Via Resilico Connect, residents are able to not only receive localised flood alerts but also create personalised flood plans, access important preparedness information and manage the ongoing maintenance of their resilience measures.
For us, a real highlight was listening to residents talk about the difference the work has made to them. Knowing they feel more comfortable and confident with resilience measures in place, personalised flood plans and local flood alerts through Resilico is exactly why we do what we do.
Afterwards, the delegation moved into the village to visit several individual households where further PFR installations have been completed, before returning to Brigstock Village Hall to continue the conversation with RAIN's project partners, including JBA Consulting, Resilico, Nene Rivers Trust, Amplius and ourselves.
Natural Flood Management
The afternoon concluded with an insight into the wider catchment approach being delivered through RAIN, including the many Natural Flood Management projects that are helping to reduce flood risk for communities downstream. This included a tour of Rush Meadow Ponds, where attendees heard from RAIN project manager Sarah Parr and landowner Hugh Shrive about how the new wetland will help to slow the flow of water during periods of heavy rainfall.
It was a very positive day - we would like to extend our thanks to Alan Ryan and the RAIN team for organising such an informative day and to everyone who took the time out to attend.
