For those who’ve seen the devastation caused to our beloved Lake District this week by the dreadful weather (Dreadful Desmond), if you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do to support the poor folks who’ve been made homeless just before Christmas, and the businesses which have been ruined yet again, there is an appeal fund set up…
You can donate via Just Giving
“Or by sending a cheque made payable to Cumbria Community Foundation and sent to CCF, Dovenby Hall, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0PN.
“Or send a text to 70070 with the message ‘FLUD15’ and a monetary amount. For example, ‘FLUD15 £10’
(love the spelling on the text one 😉 )
The webpage about the fund is here
The Adventures of a Mountain Coward 
Devastating for those affected 😦
I’ve never figured out why the Greta floods? There is a huge control mechnaism in the Thirlmere dam which at the end of summer is always at a low level. Why not maintain it at this level until after the New Year absorbing any of the winter rain. I’m not even sure Manchester still need it? I can remember in the 80s (I think it was 86) after a prolonged drought the water authority where predicting it would take 10 years for Thirlmere to reach its normal level – if i remember Keswick was flooding by November! They are spending millions to protect fresh water mussels on the Ehen and building a pipeline from Thirlmere to Sellafield. The cynic in me suspects this is more to do with the water supply to the new nuclear power station then fresh water mussels!
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I’m surprised you didn’t get flooded out – my Mum & Dad said their friend in ‘Rassett did and had to get her neighbours in to help her roll up the downstairs carpet and remove it.
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Had to dig a trench across the lawn & sandbag the kitchen door – just had a bit seeping under the door! The Baggrow side of the bridge unfortunately floods regularly – sorry your parents friend was affected 😦
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I thought your whole village would flood as it’s all very low down around the river isn’t it? Beautiful spot though. I was wanting to move to Bothel but don’t think I can afford it so looks like my retirement will be Wigton – I can live with that 🙂
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Hoping the water lowers and the folks get sorted out.
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yeah and me – it’s still pretty wet weather though. Think they may have to wait until January for the traditional start of the colder, drier weather.
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Monies sent. Here’s GMs take on the problem. Won’t be popular in some quarters but just doing the same old thing ain’t going to work.
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/12/08/a-storm-of-ignorance/
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I’d heard Monbiot had been blaming the farmers but hadn’t read his article until you put that link out. I agree with much of what he says – flood defences are never going to help in cases like Storm Desmond’s levels of rainfall and do tend to just move the problems downstream.
I also think we need more trees and a bit more scrub in the uplands. But I really don’t think sheep or the sheep/upland farmers are the culprits. There’s plenty of scrub around the Lakes – one of the things which make it look nice I think – and the whole place is sheep-grazed. Hill farmers nowadays don’t rip out hedgerows or trees either – that’s the rich arable farmers who do that.
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I visited Carlisle last week Carol, it’s in a state. Haven’t ventured to the Lakes yet, planning to do that next week. Will be visiting Keswick railway; I’m hoping the bridges are still intact. Fortunately I’ve not been flooded.
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I’m hoping to move to Wigton near Carlisle! The top end, which I’m looking to move to, didn’t flood but the bottom end did. Fortunately, the High Street is at mid level and the railway is raised up on high embankments through the town.
We’ve just been to South Lakes which did get a bit cut off by flooding on the main road at Levens and many of the locals had to find overnight accommodation and got badly stung by the hotels in question – things like no heating, £60 per night and no breakfast were being mentioned! The houses in South Lakes didn’t get flooded out though luckily. I hope Carlisle/Cockermouth and co get back on their feet again soon but it does keep happening and I don’t think the weather will dry up much until at least January.
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Wigton is a lovely place to live. I live not far from there, great access to Carlisle, Scotland, Keswick, Solway Firth, Hadrian’s Wall etc. Had a walk along the Keswick/Penrith railway yesterday. Two of the bridges are down, they’re still trying to locate one of them. I believe one was hit by a caravan that came sailing down the river!
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Ouch to the caravan – I have my old residential caravan in Cumbria on a farm not far from there and I worry about it hugely in the winter when I don’t get up to see it. I saw the photos of the Threlkeld steel bridge – it was a twisted wreck swaying in the torrent 😦
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Lets hope they get lots of help Carol, and that they dont have to wait too long until the insurance companies sort things out…
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I think the appeal is doing quite well – it was last time I logged in. All our insurance is going to go up dramatically as a result now isn’t it? I suppose it has been for the last few years due to the increase in flooding.
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Having been flooded out myself years ago I know how devastating it is, especially losing treasured items as everything is contaminated afterwards. Not long after our own visit to Keswick as well. We had flooded roads here but nothing on that scale.
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I’m lucky that I’ve never been flooded so far – but I’ve pretty much always lived on a hill. Even some houses on hills got flooded in the last West Yorkshire floods though – water poured in through the back of the house and out the front – still did lots of damage 😦
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