Memories of Hebden Bridge floods 10 years on

BBC News

22-04-2025

On Boxing Day in 2015, the town of Hebden Bridge was under water; thousands of homes and businesses were submerged when Storm Eva battered the north of England, causing significant damage in the Calder Valley.As a new play which depicts the community's efforts to "rebuild their sodden town" opens at Leeds Playhouse, the BBC has been to meet the people affected by "The Flood".
"Water was cascading off the hillside and literally rising in the town centre," Andrew Entwistle recalls.The 81-year-old flood warden had spent the days prior to the storm warning people to brace themselves.When the water came, he was going to try and lay out sandbags in an attempt to delay the deluge surging through streets, but it was too late."My wheelbarrow was floating down the street," he tells the BBC."Nobody had the flood defences then that we have now."Everywhere you looked there was just water, people were trapped in buildings; it was up to my armpits."It literally climbed up the walls."
Evidence of the water levels are still visible in Hebden Bridge 10 years later. In The Albert, a pub which regularly hosts the flood wardens' bi-monthly meetings, a sign marking the depth hangs high on the walls above a chalkboard displaying drinks deals."It was catastrophic, the worst in living memory," Mr Entwistle continues."The water came and it stayed for around 48 hours and we were on our own."There was no electric; everything had gone off, there were no communications, it was so quiet."Mr Entwistle and his wife had just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary when the floods hit.Using candles left over from their celebrations, he attempted to light the way for the community in the inky darkness. "Everybody rallied round," he adds.
Among those to rally was Deborah Collinge.Now the owner of The Albert, the 60-year-old was living in nearby Luddenden when Hebden Bridge flooded.She spent hundreds of pounds on cleaning supplies to help the community when the water finally drained, and opened her back room as a creche."It was the first time I ever saw men cry," Ms Collinge tells the BBC."Two guys told me they saw a lady that had been in the water all day and all night. "It was around her waist and she was just holding her husband's ashes."
The Flood, written and directed by Lucie Raine, focuses on the spirit displayed during the devastation.Ms Raine had friends and family living in Hebden Bridge and remembers the "apocalyptic" images, taken of places she walked around regularly."The memory is quite powerful, it still touches me."After deciding she would write a play about the events that unfolded, Ms Raine began chatting to anyone she could. "What was unusual was the amount of pride people had; they immediately talked about what happened afterwards, the way they came together."People waded through sludge to make sure others got groceries."The Flood has been described as "a love letter to the town that refused to give in to the volatility of nature".
Walk around Hebden Bridge today and evidence of that defiant spirit can still be spotted.Hidden in plain sight along almost every door and window are brackets that floodgates can be attached to the moment a flood alert escalates to an urgent warning.Some shops have signs which can transform into barriers, others have valuable goods and electrics raised more than a metre from the ground.What could be mistaken as decorative cladding in The Albert can be turned into shelving strong enough to hold detachable table tops and chairs.Many stores have replaced carpets with hard materials such as wood or stone so mud and mess left behind by the water can be swilled away.
Having endured six major floods since 2000, for people in Hebden Bridge, preparation is part of every day life.Thankfully, adds Mr Entwistle, no lives have been lost to the flooding, but living under the threat of heavy rain has taken its toll on the community."The records that people had, photographs, ashes, mementoes; they all disappeared."People's lovely possessions were contaminated; they're all gone and irreplaceable."He has since experienced PTSD since the 2015 flooding and says the anxiety in the town is "palpable" during heavy rainfall.Mr Entwistle hopes the play can teach people how "massive" the impacts of a flood are. "Talking about it sends shivers down my spine."It eats into your soul, we live on a knife-edge."The Flood is touring theatres in Yorkshire and the north, including Leeds Playhouse and the Hebden Bridge Little Theatre until 17 May.
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