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Campaigners paddle River Severn for flood action

Ellen Knightin Shropshire
News imageSevern Together Seven people in yellow t-shirts, some of them standing in the river, and three of them sitting in canoes and kayaks. They are holding up a large banner that reads "protect flooded communities - Severn Together" in black letters. The edge of the river has trees growing on it. Severn Together
Campaigners started their paddle in Llanidloes, and will finish in Bridgnorth

A group of campaigners are canoeing and kayaking the River Severn to raise awareness of the impact of flooding.

Starting at Llanidloes in mid Wales on 1 September, the Severn Together flotilla will end its voyage in Bridgnorth, in Shropshire on 6 September.

The group are calling for the English and Welsh governments to commit more support to the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS), a multi-agency organisation that aims to reduce flood risks.

A spokesperson for the Welsh government said it would "continue to work closely with partners to reduce flood risk", and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the SVWMS had received £14.5m from the UK government.

"We need to put pressure on government," said Siobhan Connor, who is the chair of Shrewsbury Flood Action Group and co-founder of Severn Together.

"We're about to enter another flood season, and we've also had drought."

Connor's home in Shrewsbury floods regularly, and the emotional and physical impact is "relentless", she added.

"You're looking into a black hole of darkness and despair," she said.

People affected by flooding are "feeling abandoned", Connor continued.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Photo of Connor, who is stood by the River Severn in Shrewsbury and smiling slightly. She is wearing a yellow t-shirt with 'Severn Together - communities in action' written on it in black letters. The river has trees, bushes, and red-brick houses along the edge of it. The sky is grey and cloudy. Ellen Knight/BBC
Siobhan Connor is the chair of Shrewsbury Flood Action Group

Also paddling the Severn are Louis Ramirez and Katia Sanhueza-Pino from non-profit organisation Flooded People UK.

"It's been absolutely fantastic," Ramirez said, adding that during the flotilla's journey, local people had raised "fears of more river damage" and "very painful histories".

"There's a balance we need to strike with nature-based solutions and flood storage engineering," said Sanhueza-Pino, who added that it was important for both "Wales and England to benefit from the scheme".

Ramirez added that canoeing the river had been "tough going" but that "morale is still pretty good".

In a statement, the Welsh government said it was "helping flood-affected communities have a stronger voice through a new independent Welsh Flood Forum," and would "continue to work closely with partners across Wales to reduce flood risk".

A spokesperson for Defra stated that the SVWMS had so far "received £10m from the UK government to support the development of a long-term water management strategy," as well as "a further £4.5m for smaller demonstrator projects".

They added that "the Environment Agency and partner organisations will explore options to unlock further funding to reduce flood risk up and down the catchment."

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