Leaky dams and an attenuation basin - Julie's NFM story

A person stands on a grassy area near a small attenuation basin, holding a basket, while a brown sheep walks beside them.

Julie Thorpe spent Christmas Day 2015 with her sisters in Nidderdale. Only after the family set off to leave did they become aware of how bad things were back home. “Around 10.30 pm we must have been in one of the last cars to drive through Mytholmroyd before the river breached. We reached home and joined our neighbours in building barriers to divert torrential water from our properties. The next day my daughter and I headed down to Hebden to help with the clean-up – the scale of the damage was unbelievable!”

When the opportunity to do something to help came along, Julie was keen to help. Julie heard about the Natural Flood Management (NFM) landowner scheme through a neighbour and wanted to find out more.

“We are lucky to have a bit of land and the contours lent themselves to creating a range of natural flood management features,” Julie explained. The project has also created many opportunities for conversations about climate change with friends, visitors, and people who use the bridleway.

Julie adds, “It is great that CMBC has invested in natural flood management. Whilst flood defences in the valley are necessary, pouring more and more concrete can’t be the only answer. If the NFM grant scheme can be scaled up it can help safeguard homes and businesses in Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, and further down the valley. And so many NFM features have a positive impact for wildlife – win-win!”