Chippenham still recovering six months after Storm Bert flooding

BBC News

25-05-2025

Residents of a Wiltshire town are still feeling the impact of devastating flooding caused by Storm Bert six months ago. Chippenham saw its worst flooding for 50 years after the River Avon burst its banks on 25 November 2024. Several businesses, charities and local groups based in the town lost their buildings, stock and personal possessions. Since then, members of the community have rallied around those worst affected to help them find a sense of normality and try to return to life as it was before the storm. James Lucas, commanding officer of the town's air cadets, said: "The people of Chippenham and the community have been unbelievable… it makes us feel like a family."
The 1304 Chippenham Air Cadets' base is located off Long Close, just outside the town centre. The building sits along the banks of the River Avon. Mr Lucas was on holiday when the storm hit and was alerted to the "really bad" damage by a colleague. "The water was so high... it was pure fear - what would happen, what could happen and what can we do with the kids?"Seeing it flooded and actually seeing inside brought a few tears to quite a few of us," he said. He estimated there was about £20,000 worth of damage to the building, which has been home to the cadets for many years. The community has helped raise £13,000 to get the group back to their base, but there is still no indication of when they will be able to return. Until then, they are operating from a temporary home in the town centre.
'A paused state'
Sarah McClymont is from Doorway, a charity based in the town centre that helps homeless people in north Wiltshire. She said the team had been in high spirits at an "amazing" fundraising event the day before the storm hit. "It was almost dream-like... It was all cordoned off, there was a very deep pool of water through the middle of town and you couldn't get through," Ms McClymont said. Six months on, the building is still in the same "broken state", with no flooring or walls. In the meantime, the "resilient" team have secured a temporary base at the town's rotary hall to keep helping those in need. "The community has really rallied around us, but we've just been in a paused state and there wasn't much we could do. "Once we get up and running we'll be fine - we'll be able to come back and deliver Doorway to our guests in a brand new, shiny, sparkly building," Ms McClymont said.
'Automatic panic'
Francesca Whitworth is the general manager of Grounded, a cafe located on Bath Road, alongside the river. She said the town "looked like an island" after the storm, leaving many people "stopped in [their] tracks".Ms Whitworth now worries whether it could happen again and finds herself observing the river levels whenever there is heavy rain. Her colleagues feel the same and often start thinking ahead in case they have to prepare flood defences. "There is that automatic panic," she said.
The team has managed to get the business going again and has secured new customers over the past six months. "Everything has its silver lining, there was a real sense of community spirit. "Everyone was just so dumbfounded by the damage and how far up the High Street the water went. Everyone pulled together," added Ms Whitworth.