The Power of People

Dear all,

A month ago we asked you to help us share something a little different and exciting. We were supporting Severn Together: Communities in Action, a community and flood action groups-led campaign calling for the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS) to be funded and delivered in full. 

Many of you shared the posts, followed the campaign, sent messages and helped to spread the word. For that, Thank You!

Where it began

The idea to canoe the River Severn was born from the simple question of “How can we make sure that an existing plan to manage water and flooding in the Severn Valley is actually realised?”. Siobhan Connor from Shrewsbury Flood Action Group and Heather Shepherd MBE from Pentre came together to set up Severn Together, bringing along flood groups from upstream and downstream in Wales and England.

And then Louis and Katia got in a canoe on the 1st of September to support them. Over six days, they canoed 106 miles down the River Severn, from Llanidloes to Bridgnorth, joined along the way by the founders of Severn Together and a growing group of canoeists and kayakers. 

At the end of the day this was not just about the distance canoed and the achievement of completing the journey, but about the people in Wales and England in the Severn Valley who have lived with flooding for years (sometimes decades), and hearing what they want to see happen.

It was about putting those voices alongside the case for the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS) and asking a simple question:

Why are communities still having to live with this when a plan exists to do something about it?

Six days, one river

Over six days, the canoeists travelled through: Newtown – Welshpool – Pentre and Melverley – Shrewsbury – Atcham and Ironbridge – Bridgnorth

Every day brought new people: Flood Action Groups, residents, farmers, businesses, councillors, MPs, Senedd Members, community groups, search and rescue volunteers and many more.

We heard about how homes flooded repeatedly, but also about businesses being disrupted, farms affected, roads and railways cut off, livelihoods put under pressure and the exhaustion of never quite knowing when this will end.

What flooded people told us

This was at the heart of it. People told us the Scheme is long overdue, and it needs to happen now. Along the whole river, this is what we heard:

  • How the scheme was long overdue and should have been started 10 years ago.
  •  The scheme needs to happen NOW.
  • Government is just providing piecemeal funding that has to be applied for annually. This is important as it allows the Scheme to go through the process, BUT,
  • To finance most of the scheme, Government needs to show commitment and inspire confidence in the private sector to contribute and provide an example for other catchments.
  • Clearly we heard that all interventions planned needed to be implemented holistically at the same time – those looking at working with nature as well as engineered flood storage areas.
  • To engage better in Wales so that they are aware of how the scheme benefits the ordinary person & communities in Wales
  • How communities felt that their voice had been lost & not heard for so long
  • How regular, deep & repeated flooding over 30 years was truly unacceptable
  • How they congratulated the canoe initiative and encouraged it to continue

Communities in Powys, Shropshire, and down the valley, who might never otherwise have met, were all saying the same thing. A flooded home in Powys and a flooded home in Bridgnorth are not separate problems, and they share a Valley. What happens upstream matters downstream, and what happens downstream matters upstream.

Why this matters

We’ve talked previously about empowerment. On this canoe campaign we saw it, in a form that no report or consultation response can capture. 

Why did people turn up? Because people care about what happens not only to them, but also to their area and communities. Their thoughts matter. Their ideas matter.

What we heard, again and again, was a shared hope: to be protected from the worst of the floods, and for any solution to recognise and benefit the communities of the upper Severn, alongside those downstream and across borders. 

As well as all those who canoed over the six days, others came and supported and lent their voice to the campaign. Flood action groups, residents, farmers, politicians, councillors, flood risk managers, businesses and influencers turned up and supported, hung banners from bridges and spoke at community events. They told their own stories, in their own words, and they wanted to be heard.

That matters because the people who make decisions need to hear these voices. 

What happens next

This isn’t the finish line. Severn Together is continuing to build the community and the case for the SVWMS to be delivered in full. Welsh and English voices need to be joined up, and clarity is needed about what the Scheme means in terms of how the solutions will look like and how they will bring local benefits. Severn Together co-founder Heather kindly shared her views on the event and she said: 

“The canoe trip successfully gave people a voice and captured their views. The scheme is long overdue and should have begun a decade ago; it must now proceed without further delay. Although the Government’s current system of annual funding applications allows the scheme to progress through the necessary processes, the system itself causes substantial delays. Delivering the scheme in full will require a clear, long-term commitment from the government. That commitment is essential to build confidence, encourage private-sector investment and provide a model for other catchments. We also heard clearly that all planned interventions must be delivered together as one holistic programme, combining green and grey interventions.

Engagement in Wales needs focus so that people and communities understand how the scheme will benefit them directly. Communities feel that their voices have been lost and ignored for far too long. Regular, deep and repeated flooding over the past 30 years is unacceptable, while drought is also placing businesses and the local economy under severe pressure. The canoe initiative was warmly welcomed and was encouraged to continue. It is time for change: the Government must invest now in the whole Severn Valley Water Management Scheme as a bold, integrated approach to water management that protects communities and secures their long-term viability for the future.” 

Thank you Severn Together

We’re excited to show you the final video, filmed and edited by our very talented Austin Graff:

To the leaders from Severn Together, to the volunteers that came out on the water, to the sponsors of the canoes, to everyone who supported, to the farmer and the flood risk manager canoeing with us, those that shared a post, joined a conversation: Thank you. 

In solidarity, 

Flooded People UK