North Lancashire flood protection group scoop national environment protection award

They have worked '˜tirelessly' to bring a community back from devastating flood damage and to ensure a disaster of this scale never happens again.
Vice chair of the Churchtown Flood Action Group, Siriol Hogg, presented with the award.Vice chair of the Churchtown Flood Action Group, Siriol Hogg, presented with the award.
Vice chair of the Churchtown Flood Action Group, Siriol Hogg, presented with the award.

Now Churchtown Flood Action Group has scooped national acclaim as they are named winners of the Community Leadership Award at the Flood and Coast 2018 Project Excellence Awards ceremony, organised by the Environment Agency.

It comes after the action group’s selfless hard work in helping flood victims across north Lancashire in Churchtown, St Michaels, and parts of Garstang in late 2016.

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Vice chair of the action group, Siriol Hogg, said: “Since Storm Desmond, myself and our small Flood group have worked tirelessly to try and prevent flooding from happening to us again.

2017 flooding in Garstang.2017 flooding in Garstang.
2017 flooding in Garstang.

“We have raised thousands of pounds to help with flood mitigation.”

The group beat Brompton Flood Prevention Group and Shipston Area Flood Action Group to be crowned winners in the category.

“We didn’t expect to come first as there are many large groups from all over England who have excellent hard working dedicated people working for their communities,” Siriol explained.

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The annual ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, March 21, at The International Centre in Telford, aims to recognise excellent projects developed or supported by local authorities, internal drainage boards and the Environment Agency – as well as community level initiatives.

Floods in Galgate last year.Floods in Galgate last year.
Floods in Galgate last year.

Late last year, the action group’s attention was taken north of Garstang to the small village of Galgate near Lancaster after it was hit with devastating winter flooding.

Environment Agency Flood Resilience Advisor, Paul Bond said: “There has been a tremendous amount of excellent work carried out by our Lancashire Flood Action Groups in recent years.

“This has enabled the communities which they represent to improve their flood resilience and preparedness.

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“Churchtown Flood Action Group are an outstanding example of this and it is great that their achievements have been recognised at a national level.”

2017 flooding in Garstang.2017 flooding in Garstang.
2017 flooding in Garstang.

Siriol Hogg added: “Flooding is going to be a recurring problem in Lancashire and Cumbria as there is so much building being permitted and not enough care being taken with the management of water. It is also getting wetter.”