Retirement complex’s plucky residents wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer to get the anti-flooding funding they desperately needed

A retirement complex has shown just what can be achieved with grit and determination in the face of flooding.

The Riverside Gardens complex in Witney, Oxfordshire, was badly flooded on Christmas Eve, 2020, by the nearby River Windrush, causing severe damage and enormous distress to residents.

Resident Kay Jerred from Riverside Residents Association said: “The speed of the rising water was very frightening and we were unable to get a response from the council to supply sandbags. The awful distress and fear was palpable. Eleven of us were asked to evacuate and five were unable to return to their flats for over six months.”

Some of the 51 elderly residents at Riverside Gardens are vulnerable and have to live in ground floor accommodation but it was clear that the potential for further flooding was increasing the vulnerability of many of them.

Riverside Residents Association tried to get help from the Environment Agency and The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), but both attempts ended in frustration.

Kay said: “The responses were extremely disappointing. DEFRA stated that we hadn’t met the threshold for compensation for the flooded properties and the Environment Agency suggested we needed to become a more resilient community but no finances were available.”

So it was up to the residents themselves to raise money to buy the flood resilience products they needed to protect themselves. They managed to get £1,800 from Oxford County Council and did their own fundraising with a couple of the residents aged 88 and 90 doing a 10k walk!

Several properties needed flood protection doors which cost around £3,000 each but the residents’ big break came when the Environment Agency mentioned Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) Resilient Communities Fund.

The residents applied for £20,000 … and they eventually ended up with £60,000.

In 2021 the SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund awarded them £19,902 to help them develop their flood prevention scheme and the following year they received a further £40,000.

Morven Smith, SSE’s Head of Community Investment, said: “When the Riverside Residents Association applied to SSEN for funding in 2021 we were extremely moved by their situation and understood that, for those living in the complex, the potential for their homes to be flooded again was causing them undue stress and affecting their wellbeing.

“We were delighted to be able to assist them with funding for flood defences for a number of the properties but it soon became clear that this initial award of around £20,000 wasn’t enough to help all of the residents and that multiple applications and potential awards would be needed over the coming years.

“After receiving a further application from the Riverside Residents Association for £20,000 the decision was unanimously taken by the awarding panel of SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund to double the funding to provide them with the further £40,000 that would help complete their flood defence programme, bringing them peace of mind and enabling them to live without the fear of being flooded out of their homes.”

The flood doors were provided by well-respected flood company M3 Floodtec from Droitwich in Worcestershire with 10 front flood doors and four French flood doors fitted after the first grant and, after the second grant, 18 flats on Riverside Gardens had new front flood doors and eight downstairs flats were fitted with French flood doors at the back as well. The communal area, housing the office, lounge and launderette now also has front flood door.

Riverside Residents Association recently bought some FloodSax alternative sandbags from Yorkshire-based company Environmental Defence Systems Ltd which also donated some extra ones for free.

They will be used to soak up any water which seeps inside the homes through flood doors and they can also be rolled up and put down toilets to stop filthy sewage water from backing up into the properties.

Kay said: “As the flood rep for this vulnerable, retirement community I’ve ordered FloodSax from EDS on two separate occasions now and would like to praise the staff for their friendliness, patience and helpfulness on both occasions.

“The request for FloodSax to be used by this retirement community was dealt with promptly and we were thrilled that on both occasions the order was delivered within 24 hours. This has given us a bit more reassurance when flooding occurs.”