Tupsley Community Newspaper
Issue 53 Spring 2014
TupsleyVoice
Claire & Laszlo Watson from Hampton Bishop enjoying a paddle round their flooded village
Hampton Bishop Endures Worst Flooding Since 1974 For the last two months our neighbours in Hampton Bishop have been hit with probably the worst flooding since the existing flood defences were built alongside the Wye and the Lugg in 1974. The BBC weather said that the amount of rain falling this winter in England and Wales (453mm) is the greatest since records began 250 years ago. The flood water in Hampton Bishop has on occasions been higher (eg in 2007) but the length of time that the village has been flooded has been exceptional this year and has made life in the village very difficult. The problem started before Christmas when so much rain fell that the fields become totally waterlogged. Then approx 12” (300mm) of rain fell between 1 January and 20 February. Since both the rivers Wye and the Lugg were high the drains into the rivers were inoperative and so the rain flooded the village roads for many weeks (most of which are below the flat fields). Residents either had their cars stuck in their drives or parked at unflooded properties at the edge of the village. They had a muddy and slippery walk across the fields to get
in or out of the village since the flood water on the roads was in many places too deep to walk through. Approximately ¾ of the length of the B4224 (Hereford to Mordiford road) from the Hereford end of the village to Mordiford was under water and closed when the flood was at its highest. At the same time approximately 90% of all the village roads were under water and impassable for most cars. Fortunately it is believed that no houses were flooded but sewage drainage from a few houses was prevented. Carrying provisions across the muddy fields was also very difficult so it was a great blessing when the army arrived to transport food ordered from the supermarket. Eventually a large pump was obtained to start pumping the vast amount of water over the defences into the river Lugg at Mordiford Bridge. At the time of writing (26 February) most of the roads are thankfully clear of water, as the pumps have done their job successfully and the amount of rain falling is now much less.
10K Run & Easter Egg Hunt Easter Sunday, April 20th, will see the first ever Tupsley 10k Run and Easter Egg Hunt. The run, starting at 10:00am from The Quarry, is being organised by Nicki Tyler, Councillor Jim Kenyon and the “Friends of St Paul’s School”. Funds will be raised for the Friends and to organise future events in Tupsley.
New Garden for St Paul’s School In November Central Tupsley Community Group (CTCG) started a garden program with St. Paul’s school. The community group paid to have old trees removed and the new garden rotorvated. There will be a volunteer day for both Group members and parents in the near future to re-establish the paths and build a raised garden with fruit trees and wild flowers. The school will then be working hard to try and obtain a “District in Bloom” award from the Royal Horticultural Society this Summer.
Those of an energetic nature can enter this race online. Please keep a look out on the Central Tupsley Community Group Facebook page for up to date information https://www. facebook.com/CentralTupsleyCommunityGroup . For those who would rather take things a little easier, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt at the Quarry from 11:30am to 1:30pm. At 11:30am there will be an Egg Hunt for the under 5’s and at 12:30pm a worksheet Treasure Hunt for the older ones. As well as the Easter Egg Hunt, there will be other activities and refreshments available. Do come along and join in the fun!
Tupsley Voice is a Community Newspaper published by St Paul’s and Hampton Park Churches, compiled and distributed by volunteers. Tupsley Voice does not accept any responsibility for the reliability or quality of the services provided by the advertisers. These adverts are a service which the publication provides for its reading public. Items for inclusion should be submitted to Tupsley Voice by e mail at tupsleyvoice@hotmail.co.uk. Printed by Impact Print & Design Ltd. Design & Layout by Douglas Kirkpatrick