Bridgnorth rallies together in height of floods
When disaster strikes, communities rally together to overcome difficulties and help those in need. As the river level was expected to peak and flood Bridgnorth, members of the town have been a fine example of that.
Levels were expected to peak at about 5.3 metres overnight, and residents were offering their services for free and opening their homes to evacuees.
As dozens of people were advised to leave their properties over the last 10 days, a rest centre was set up in Castle Hall and its occupants were pleasantly surprised when hot sausage rolls were delivered by Keith Alderson Butchers.
Co-owner of the business, Julia Spencer, originally from London, came up with the idea to deliver free refreshments and said the difference in camaraderie was clear to see.
She said: "We've been keeping on top of everything and when we heard evacuees had gone to Castle Hall, we cooked some fresh sausage rolls and got them sent down immediately.
"We wanted to share the support going around the town for evacuees and for the volunteers. A lot of them aren't getting paid and councils tend to get some stick but they've been working hard.
"I'm from London and no one knows each other there. Here, it's heartwarming. Everyone's been sympathetic and keeping each other in the loop. Everyone's telling everyone what's happening and where not to go.
"There's a great bunch of people in Bridgnorth that's definitely pulling together. The community spirit is there to see."
Fantastic
Meanwhile, the emergency services enjoyed free food and drink at The Falcon Hotel, which opened its doors as part of a blue light coffee break.
Karl Owen, co-owner of the hotel, said the idea was passed on to him from a manager who had done the same at another hotel he previously worked at.
"When he mentioned it I thought it would be a fantastic idea as I knew there were a number of serious incidents in place with the emergency services throughout the town, particularly the fire service," Mr Owen said.
"We then posted a message on our Facebook and before we knew it that message was shared everywhere."
Reaching more than 20,000 people online, the offer was soon taken up by firefighters who had been helping residents in their homes and pumping water out of the worst affected areas.
Mr Owen added: "The Bridgnorth fire brigade came through and they had pork sandwiches and hot drinks.
"It was really nice and you could see how much they appreciated it."
