Plymouth events, workshops and BRIC competition winners
Building Resilience in Communities (BRIC) is a two-year cross-channel Interreg-funded project running until June 2023.
We work with eight organisations in France and England, where our key aim is to build resilience in local communities who are at risk of flooding.
One of those areas is Plymouth, where we have been working in communities across the Devon city which continue to be affected by flooding.
Here is a look back at our recent events, meetings and competitions, together with advice on steps people in Plymouth should take to protect themselves from flooding.
St Levan Flood Action Group Meeting
BRIC, in partnership with the Environment Agency and South West Water, has been investigating opportunities to reduce and better manage flood risk in Plymouth’s St Levan Park and the surrounding area.
As part of the scheme, St Levan Flood Action Group held their first meeting in October at College Road Primary School, where they also took part in the Home and Dry workshop, created by the University of Exeter.
St Levan Family Fun Day
The BRIC team was delighted to attend the St Levan Family Fun Day in Plymouth during the summer to meet locals and raise awareness of BRIC’s work in the area, one of our pilot project areas in partnership with Plymouth City Council.
We loved working with children on decorating their mini water butts and to talk to so many people about how to ‘slow the flow’ – simple ideas for how you can reduce the risk of flooding at home.
Plymouth Libraries – We Are In This Together
In our continued efforts to raise awareness of the risks of flooding in the Plymouth area, BRIC joined Plymouth Libraries in October for their We Are In This Together climate event.
We enjoyed chatting to the local community about the threat of flooding in Plymouth. From the hard surfacing preventing rainwater soaking into the ground to the Victorian sewers carrying both rain water and sewage.
Trefusis Park Mini Pop up in the Park
BRIC hosted a Mini Pop up in the Park event in October to raise awareness of the Trefusis Park Flood Relief Scheme in Plymouth.
To reduce the risk of flooding in the Lipson Vale area during times of heavy rainfall, we are seeking to store excess surface water in seasonal wetland basins within Trefusis Park, then release it back into the drainage network slowly once the heavy rain has passed and the network has capacity again.
Meet our ‘Slow the Flow’ competition winners
We’re thrilled to have had not one, but two ‘Slow the Flow’ competition winners here in Plymouth during the past couple of months.
In July, we visited Laira to present Jackie with her winning water butt, kindly supplied by South West Water. Jackie kindly showed us round her garden and took us on a tour of her own home flood prevention system.
Then in October, we met our other competition winner, Jan, who had just moved to the Lipson Vale area of Plymouth. Jan plans to use his newly-won water butt to create a store and slow-release water system, which slowly leaks water into the drain.
Weston Mill Flood Action Group Meeting
Plymouth’s Weston Mill area has been identified as one of the key locations in the city at risk from fluvial flooding.
Weston Mill Flood Action Group met in a member’s kitchen in October to take part in the Home and Dry workshop, focusing on building resilience in extreme weathers and giving people an idea of the kind of decisions they need to make to protect themselves from flooding.