Our Communities Have Been Announced
Reclaim the Rain has IDENTIFIED six communities across norfolk and suffolk which will look at water in a new light
Following a difficult selection process, we are pleased to share that we have chosen the communities across Norfolk and Suffolk which will form Reclaim the Rain! Between February and May 2022, the Project Team received 37 expressions of interest from different communities across both counties which all had an interest in becoming a part of Reclaim the Rain and had the challenging task of narrowing that number down to just six - with three in Norfolk and three in Suffolk.
In Norfolk we have selected:
Merton and Watton
Thompson
Woodton
And in Suffolk we have selected:
Friston
Little Blakenham
Boxford
Communities were selected based on a wealth of factors including flood risk, water demand, environmental constraints, ability to access other funding sources, and community interest. Our final six all demonstrated a variety of strengths and opportunities for us to manage water sustainably. In the coming months, the Reclaim the Rain Project Team will be working closely with these communities to develop projects which maximise the opportunities to manage risks from both flooding and droughts. The overall project objective is to identify new ways of working that can be learnt from and evidenced to inform and influence future policy, approaches to, and investments in how flood risk is managed nationally in the coming years.
The project will involve both partner organisations and the community in the development of suitable flood water reuse schemes. The schemes will address the community’s needs in terms of flood risk and water resource requirements, and could result in provision of:
Habitat creation and restoration
Irrigation reservoir recharge
Rainwater Capture and Reuse for community, agriculture or business use
Retrofitted SuDS
Smart Leaky Water Butts and more
Rain Gardens and more…
We’re really excited to start working with our communities over the coming months and years, and look forward to delivering innovative schemes which make a difference locally and in national policy.
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“We are grateful for our circumstances and desire to find solutions being recognised. The Reclaim the Rain initiative offers us peace of mind to work on putting solutions in place and are pleased that any actions will also benefit the wider area around Woodton. The village has had its fair share of challenges to contend with and the community continue to pull together, support each other and improve the area for current and future residents, we look forward to working with the Reclaim the Rain project team, Norfolk County Council and local land and business owners.’’
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“Thompson feels very privileged to be selected as one of the sites for the Reclaim the Rain pilot project. This project will primarily enable us to address and resolve the drainage and flooding challenges that this village and its neighbouring village experience and at the same time facilitate water capture to assist our farming community. We are very much looking forward to working with the project team and all of the local, regional and national interested parties.”
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“It's thrilling to be selected to take part in this amazing project, which will help to reduce the worst effects of both flood and drought. Not only will it give us the opportunity to investigate and develop strategies for slowing down and infiltrating water from extreme rainfall events before it hits the centre of the village, which could in turn improve biodiversity locally, but it will give adults and children alike access to tools and information for saving the rainwater we receive, as well as a better understanding of how saving this vital resource can reduce our dependency on tap water and maybe even save us money too.”
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“Friston is excited and honoured to be working with Reclaim the Rain on a project that could change the way we look at rainwater. In future, instead of worrying about where the water will end up, we'll be looking forward to the next deluge so we can put it to good use in the village!”
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“We are delighted to be involved in this first round of Reclaim the Rain with Suffolk County Council so that we can all learn from the experiences and disseminate any information we can.
It is my belief we will firstly be able to reduce the likelihood of houses flooding in the village, also, will be able to utilise the water for crop production reducing our reliance on abstracting water from the ground.”
Quotes from Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils:
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“Flooding is a very real and challenging issue across many areas in Suffolk and there is much we are doing to minimise the risk for our residents. This project will take our efforts to the next level by working with six case study communities to capture that excess water and put it to good use. We live in the driest part of the UK, so every drop that falls on it is precious – any way that we can find a more sustainable use for this water will benefit us now and in years to come.
“I am excited by the announcement of Boxford, Little Blakenham and Friston as Suffolk’s chosen communities, and congratulate officers and selected communities across the two counties, in what will no doubt be a fascinating and innovative 6-year programme.”
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“We all know that water management is vital all year round – the impact of too little water can be as serious as too much, and managing our resources to mitigate both flooding and drought is a major challenge. This project is allowing us to work with local communities to bring in innovative, bold ideas to make the best use of our water and I’m looking forward to seeing the results: getting this right in Norfolk will set an example for groups across the country to follow and demonstrate how we can make our communities stronger and more resilient.”
