Supporting our community in the aftermath of recent floods

In the aftermath of Storm Christoph, the community have been pulling together to support those who have been affected by the recent storm. Persistent rainfall has wreaked havoc across the Cheshire region, causing widespread flooding, road closures and evacuations of hundreds of properties. According to the Environmental Agency, the severe weather caused over 350 properties across Greater Manchester and Cheshire to be damaged by flooding, with the agency still gathering vitalpost-flood information to determine the total figure. Several initiatives have been launched to help our learners, their families and the wider communities who find themselves displaced by the flooding. At Warrington & Vale Royal College, a food bank was set up providing much needed supplies to vulnerable learners and their families. The college is also working in partnership with a local charity Friends of Meadowside, which has been running for the past few years, supporting communities who need basic essentials such as food, clothing and household goods. The charity is run by a team of volunteers and regularly receives fresh food donations from local supermarkets such as Tesco and Aldi. Founder of the charity, Mark Davies has kindly offered to help learners of the college and has expressed that he is keen for any learners who feel they may benefit from the charity‚ support to get in touch. They are based on Avery Close in Orford, Warrington and they offer to deliver items to those in need. In addition to this, we have also offered our Brickwork building as a storage and collection point for a group set up by local residents via Facebook. The Warrington Floods Support Group now has over 3,400 members who actively share and offer donations of furniture, appliances, household goods and clothing. After quickly being inundated with donations and running out of space to store items, the team approached the college for help. The brickwork building was chosen as a safe place to store donations as the facility sits separately from other college buildings, allowing charity workers to keep a safe distance from learners and staff who are currently attending college. The donations will be much needed to help families who have lost their belongings and will go a long way in easing their burden. Director of Student Support, Charlotte Barratt says, "We really want to support all of our learners as much as we can during these difficult times. Our food bank is just one part of that. We are really grateful for the donations we have recieved so far and the fantastic impact it is having on our learners.If any of our learners do find they are struggling financially or emotionally then please speak to your progress coach, teacher or assessor." For details of how to access external initiatives, please see below:Friends of Meadowside: friendsofmeadowside@hotmail.com Warrington Floods Support Group: