How my home in the middle of the M62 has stood the test of time - Jo Thorp

The chilling wail was heard faintly across the hills whilst we sat up on our hillside, suffering the onslaught of the high winds and torrential rain but thankfully safe from devastating flood water.

The Calder Valley stretches from Sowerby Bridge to Luddendenfoot, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge and through to Todmorden.

The hillsides are steep and unfortunately the valley is prone to flooding.

It must be soul destroying for the residents and businesses of the beautiful market town of Hebden Bridge that is still waiting for flood defences to be put in place, almost ten years after the utterly devastating floods on Boxing Day 2015.

We don’t and will never have to go through this misery, perched up on the slopes as we are, but the ever frequent storms that seem to batter our great little island cause endless damage and heartbreak for many.

Our old house is well versed in coping with winter storms, its thick stone walls have stood the test of time but it is vocal in its protestations, emitting groans and moans, deep drawn out shivers and sighs as it faces onslaught after onslaught.

We’ve been lucky this time and thankfully been spared of any power cuts, but damage is seen elsewhere.

Old fencing has finally given up the ghost and after a night of endless buffeting winds, now lays flat on the ground.

A few roof sheets have come adrift and the underpass has of course been washed away leaving knee deep gouges in the stony drive.

The gravel that once made up the upper part of our drive is now gone, strewn across the grassy slopes and down into the trees at the very bottom of our farm.

It isn’t devastating and certainly not debilitating, just an inconvenience. For those farmers left without power, however, the minutes, hours and sometimes days can quickly turn from a slight problem into a huge headache.

Heat lamps for newborn lambs, parlours and milk cooling facilities, water pumps, greenhouses for horticultural crops as well as temperature controlled storage for produce.

The list goes on and the longer and more frequent these power cuts become, the more devastating they are. Land can become submerged, animals marooned, swept away, trees down, buildings damaged and so on.

Yet still, somehow, in amongst all this chaos, extra work, worry and misery, farmers have been out helping others. Stranded motorists, fallen trees to clear, animals to rescue, they have been in the thick of it pulling people to safety and ensuring the roads are kept clear.

With everything that has been thrown at them recently, it not only astounds me but fills me with pride to see the lengths our great farmers will go to with community spirit being at the very core of everything they do.

I truly hope that not only do they receive the recognition and support they so very much deserve, but that maybe, just maybe the weather Gods can be a little kinder for Christmas and that as every person that sits down to enjoy a locally reared turkey with locally produced seasonal vegetables, remember who to thank.