Resilient Cockermouth businesses regroup after flood disaster
Fab story about rural resilience in Cumbria – Im sure there are many others….
By Monday morning, the waters had receded and we could access the cafe. The high-water mark was about 2mm off the top step. We were that close to disaster.
The scenes on Monday morning were barely believable. Main Street was a hive of activity. The local council, Allerdale, sent vans round constantly to remove debris. Many shop owners were working hard in their premises removing damaged stock and fittings. After the floods of 2009, Main Street was a sorry sight for six months, a place of skips, darkness and despair. You could tell that this time it was going to be different.
We were due to host the Taste Cumbria Food Festival the following weekend. At first, I thought there would be no chance. But as Monday progressed, there was a real sense of determination. At a meeting of the chamber of trade on the Monday night, amid scenes of high emotion, it was decided overwhelmingly to go ahead with the festival. In the end it was a great success, with 10,000 people visiting over the two days, standing in marquees where only a few days before there had been water.
Allerdale council has been brilliant in supporting the town and Sellafield has been hugely generous in supporting the fightback. We have been overwhelmed by volunteers wanting to help. People have come to visit from St Helens, Sunderland, Scotland and many other places. It has been truly amazing to witness their generosity.