A story of hope in Hebden Bridge rising from the misery of the floods

Glancing around Ed Chadwick’s warm and inviting craft gallery it’s hard to believe that a month ago it was under more than two feet of water.

It has taken countless hours of blood, sweat and tears, as well as the kindness and support of both friends and strangers, but he and his partner Jill Shaddock have already got his shop back up and running. Snug gallery, on Market Street, was among the many homes and businesses in Hebden Bridge that succumbed to the torrents of water that tore through the Calder Valley on Boxing Day.

Ed and Jill have suffered more than most because not only was his gallery flooded so, too, was the ground floor of their house, while their beloved allotment, which they spent three years nurturing, was also washed away.

In 2012, when torrential summer downpours flooded large parts of the town, they managed to keep the water out. But not this time.

The drama started on Boxing Day when the couple dashed back to try and stop the gallery, which Ed opened six years ago, from flooding. Despite the heavy rainfalls in December they decided to visit Jill’s parents in Mirfield for Christmas as planned. “We’d had a busy few months in the gallery and we were pretty exhausted. Plus this is the only time of year where we can actually get a break,” says Ed, sitting in his gallery.

Having spent Christmas Day in Mirfield he and Jill woke up early on Boxing Day to check on Twitter to see what was happening in Hebden Bridge. They knew there was a flood risk and their worst fears were confirmed when people started sending messages warning that the water levels were rising.

“It looked bad and having experienced this in 2012 you know when it starts flooding in certain places it’s going to hit us.”

The couple were forced to cut short their Christmas break and head back to Hebden Bridge, avoiding the main valley roads which they knew would already be flooded. Having managed to park on the edge of town they waded through the streets to the gallery. “It was about half nine in the morning and by this time the river was tearing across the street towards us. We were just clinging on to each other,” says Ed.

Footage captured on mobile phones showed the power of the raging torrents. “The video of the VW bus being carried down the road that everyone saw was just across the road from us. It was like watching a toy car in the bath and it showed the force of water coming at us.”

Ed’s landlord had kindly put some large boards and sandbags against the windows and the front door which bought them some valuable time, allowing them to move the objects up some steps to the back of the gallery and relative safety.

In the meantime the water kept rising and growing in ferocity. “It was like watching something out of a movie,” says Ed. “We stood in the window and it was like being in a glass box that had been transported into a raging torrent. At one point Jill says she saw a big antique wardrobe going passed the window.”

Despite their valiant efforts the water inevitably started spilling into the gallery. “It came up through the floor and then it started bubbling in each corner and within 10 minutes it was two feet deep.”

As well as desperately trying to prevent the rising water from ruining his gallery Ed also helped out his neighbours, who were away for the festive period. He had a key to their shop and managed to move all their hats and antique furniture just in the nick of time.

By late afternoon the waters slowly began to recede and Ed and Jill made their way back to their house in the town centre, but the flood water was so deep they couldn’t even get in. “Luckily I had the key to our neighbour’s house and we were able to stay there for the night. The following morning we went to check on our house and the ground floor area was five foot deep in water. There was a horrible stench and it was a complete mess.

“Thankfully most of our living accommodation is above but we still had to clean it out and disinfect it and even then we couldn’t get rid of the smell,” he says. “But in a way we had to forget about home and concentrate on the gallery because this is our livelihood and it had to take priority over everything.”

The past few weeks have been a hard slog for them both. “We’ve worked solidly since Boxing Day. We had to lift up part of the floor to help it dry out, but luckily a friend of ours is an electrician who came and helped us out with all the plugs and sockets. He didn’t want any money so we gave him some beers.”

People in the town have rallied round to help one another but Ed admits there have been times when he’s struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “There was a point when I was in tears on the doorstep because I couldn’t just see a way forward,” he says. “I’d stayed late doing some work the day before and felt I was making headway, but the next morning I realised it wasn’t going to work.”

A neighbour came to his aid inviting him in for a coffee and some words of encouragement and it’s this solidarity and community spirit for which Hebden Bridge is renowned that has helped people like Ed get back on their feet. It was after seeing their devastated allotment that another friend set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the couple to help them through the next few months.

Ed has been overwhelmed by the response with more than £5,000 in donations from people in the first three weeks of the 30-day scheme, including contributions from as far away as Australia, Canada and Italy. “We’ve had people sending messages and money from all over the world. It’s been our friends and customers, the people whose work we show and other galleries in the UK. Some of the comments have moved us to tears, the kindness of people has been amazing.”

The money raised is a godsend as Ed doesn’t have flood insurance which became too expensive following the 2012 floods. “We had a little contingency fund but before Sarah set up the crowdfund I was really worried about being able to continue. But it’s given us the financial security to hopefully weather the storm and it’s also given us the heart to carry on.”

But he knows that further challenges lie ahead. The Calder Valley was hit by further heavy downpours yesterday with more forecast today, raising the possibility of further flooding. Yet despite the risks that come with living in this lush corner of West Yorkshire he and Jill don’t want to leave. “Hebden Bridge is a fantastic place to live and work and we love it here. We know it will happen again but we just have to be prepared to live with it.”

For more details about their crowdfund campaign go to https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sarah-statham-4

Calder Valley is open for business

Hebden Bridge, along with places like Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden and Elland suffered badly in last month’s floods.

It sparked a huge volunteer effort with hubs set up to help those in need. Volunteers and supplies came from far and wide and from many different faiths, including a huge amount of help from mosques and Muslim charities.

Several businesses also started crowdfunding campaigns, while pop-up spaces have been opened to help flooded shops. For businesses like Ed Chadwick’s the challenge now is encouraging people to return. “It’s great that so many places have reopened, but the message we want to get out there is that places like Hebden Bridge are open for business.”