Campaigners canoe along River Severn calling for more action to prevent flood risks
Severn Together are calling for the English and Welsh governments to commit more support to the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme
A group of campaigners are completing their mammoth canoe along the River Severn today (September 6), bringing home their message on flood risks to Bridgnorth.
The Severn Together group have canoed through Wales, across the border and through Shropshire to raise awareness of the impact that flooding from the river has on communities here in all of Shropshire.
The group are calling for the English and Welsh governments to commit more support to the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme - a multi-agency partnership that aims to reduce flood risks in the region.
The Severn Together group consists of a number of different organisations who are uniting to help maximise their message.
Among them is Louis Ramirez from Flooded People UK, who told us: "The goal of the trip is to bring all of the different people who live near the river together to have that conversation and shared vision.
"These are businesses, farmers, people in North Wales, people in Shropshire and so the canoe journey allows us to tell that story of how people up stream and down stream are being impacted by flooding and need some relief and are being impacted by drought and need some relief."
The Severn Valley Water Management Scheme is a strategy being developed by a cross-border, multi-agency collaboration to reduce flood risk to people and infrastructure across the Upper Severn - partners include the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Powys County Council and Shropshire Council.
Supporting the Severn Together movement, speaking on behalf of The Marches Forward Partnership, Shropshire Council deputy leader, Alex Wagner said: “We are delighted to see communities supporting this activity which reflects our shared desire to see greater investment in the region and a long-term approach to unlocking its economic, environmental and community potential.
“At the heart of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme and the Marches Forward Partnership is a simple idea: by working together across Wales and England we can create the conditions for communities, businesses and the natural environment to thrive.
“Better management of one of the UK’s most important river catchments can support investment, strengthen local economies, improve connectivity between communities and help make this a more attractive place to live, work and do business.”
The feedback the canoe flotilla said they've had from people along their route has been "incredibly supportive", with the group hearing countless stories of how people have been impacted by the river flooding for many years.
Louis continued: "We would like them the governments that people really really need this and want this and in response make a commitment that this the scheme will in fact get built rather than the limbo state that a lot of people are in right now."
The fact the scheme was first awarded funding in 2021, but now, people living with the impacts of flooding along the River Severn want to see the commitment to action.
In response, a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: "We are helping flood-affected communities have a stronger voice through a new independent Welsh Flood Forum, currently being developed with a dedicated steering group.
"We continue to work closely with partners across Wales and on both sides of the border to reduce flood risk and strengthen support for communities, including in the Severn catchment."
A spokesperson for DEFRA also said: "The Severn Valley Water Management Scheme has so received £10 million from the UK Government to support the development of a long-term water management strategy for the upper Severn catchment, alongside a further £4.5 million for smaller demonstrator projects aimed at testing key concepts and building local resilience.
“This funding is intended to investigate solutions for flood risk reduction, water supply management, and environmental improvements across the catchment.
“Environment Agency and partner organisations will explore options to unlock further funding to reduce flood risk up and down the catchment.”