New film shows progress of natural flood management project in Calder Valley

‘Slowing the flow together’ focuses on the work carried out by Slow the Flow and the National Trust at Hardcastle Crags.
Picture: National Trust/Paul Harris.Picture: National Trust/Paul Harris.
Picture: National Trust/Paul Harris.

An ambitious project which uses natural methods to reduce food risk in the Calder Valley is the focus of a new short film. ‘Slowing the flow together’, a film by Andy Clark, shows how grass-roots community organisation, Slow the Flow, partnered with the National Trust to make a difference in the flood-prone areas of Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd.

The film shows the progress the project’s made since the partnership began in 2017.

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Using teams of local volunteers, more than 500 leaky dams have been built in the woods at Hardcastle Crags in the last three years. These leaky dams are made up of trunks, logs or sticks, placed in gulleys and streams.

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This helps to slow the flow of water during heavy rainfall, allowing it soak into the woodland floor, rather than rush into streams and rivers at the bottom of the valley.

Using special flow monitoring techniques, the team at Slow the Flow have been able to see how this natural flood management project is changing the rate of flow in streams. It’s hoped that the technique can be expanded throughout other areas of Calderdale to have a big impact on the River Calder and flood risk.

Bede Mullen, Chair of Slow The Flow said: “The devastating floods in the Calder Valley in 2015 galvanised us to try and make a difference for our local community.

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"Our Natural Flood Management work at Hardcastle Crags is our most successful project to date, so it’s great that we’ve been able to share our progress in this film made by Andy Clark. It is also important that we use the film to share our knowledge with other community groups and charities who are also working to reduce flood risk around the UK.”

Rosie Holdsworth, project manager for the National Trust, said: “This film is a great opportunity to showcase what we’ve achieved over the past three years. Our volunteer days with Slow the Flow have been really well-attended, and together we’ve now built more than 500 leaky dams in Hardcastle Crags.”

Andy Clark, who made the film, said: “Slow The Flow have been inspirational in what they’ve achieved over the last few years. They are passionate individuals who look out for their community and they have proven they can make a real difference.

"It’s fantastic that they are now able to share what they have learned with other communities around the UK, and it has been my pleasure to be a part of sharing their work through this film."

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The film has been funded by the Environment Agency and it’s hoped it’ll be used to empower other community groups, students and local authorities who may have an interest in Natural Flood Management.

The film will be shown as part of a special online launch at 7.30pm on June 3 via Zoom, and will then be and will be available daily in the pump room at Gibson Mill in Hardcastle Crags once their visitor centre is open again in the summer.

You can also watch it on both the Slow The Flow website and the National Trust Hardcastle Crags website.

For more details about the film please visit, www.slowtheflow.net/slowing-the-flow-together.