As a church, Fulwood responded immediately to the Cumbrian Flood Appeal by sending a substantial sum from the Benevolent Fund during the first week.

Between Thursday 19^th and Friday 20^th November, 2009, a record 12 inches of rain fell in the area. As water levels rose, homes, businesses, farms and farmland in various parts of Cumbria suffered, but areas of West Cumbria were the worst affected. The force of water caused the collapse of Northside Bridge at Workington, splitting the town in two, and other bridges also collapsed or were deemed unsafe, thus isolating rural communities. The heart of Cockermouth was flooded in up to 8 feet of water, when the rivers Cocker and Derwent broke their banks.

I have just returned from a short break in Cockermouth. There I found that the United Reformed Church had been flooded, as had the Roman Catholic Church and the Reef Youth Café, run by the New Frontiers Church. Food stored there on behalf of the Christian Centre, which had started a Food Bank just before the floods, was destroyed. Shops and businesses on Main Street and in the Market Place, and whole streets of houses had suffered badly, leaving many people homeless and without any possessions whatsoever.

I began my tour at the Methodist Church – where the foyer is now open for coffee each morning, and the church is open for quiet reflection. This is also the temporary base for the Food Bank, and food is distributed from here to those in need, or people can pop in to collect a box. A box may include tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, soup, pasta, rice, tinned goods and dried milk; nappies, baby food and powdered milk are also available. The churches are collecting the food but welcome donations are also being received from supermarkets. The majority of people who call in simply need to chat.

Over coffee I heard more about the flood. One lady, living alone, told us how during the night of the flood she heard her furniture downstairs banging against the ceiling, so deep was the water in her living room. Water was flowing so fast outside her house that she could not be rescued until the following morning. She can live on her insurance for 6 months only. Due to the pressure on housing, she lives with her daughter (also a victim) and three children in a small, two bedroomed flat. What people most regret is the loss of much of their past: as the water rose so quickly, going from knee high to waist deep in 10 minutes, so valuables, photos, documents, paper work, and books could not be saved in time. One lady, who did a lot of baking, regretted losing all her grandmother’s old baking tins: "Things cook so much better in the old tins," she said! Amazingly there was only one casualty: the policeman Bill Barker, at the Northside Bridge in Workington. .

I also learnt that when people tried to return home after work on the evening of the flood they suddenly hit unexpectedly deep water. One man climbed out of his car on to the parapet of the bridge and walked home. Another hit some water just before a bridge and his engine died; after a time along came a tractor to push him over the bridge to a drier spot. He contacted his wife, who took him home; they returned the following day to find the bridge collapsed, his car still there, but with a fourteen mile detour to get to work. The force and speed of the water was so great it is generally felt to be a miracle that no-one died in Cockermouth.

Leaving the church we went down to the river, where the high water mark was still very obvious. Along by the river there were strips of blue and white plastic on the door handles: these were markers for the rescue services indicating ‘this house has been checked.’ There were also ‘Danger - Keep Out - Building Site’ signs on the doors and ‘Protective clothing must be worn.’ Another sign commonly seen was ‘Beware – no floor boards.’ There were skips full of damaged plaster, bricks, hardboard and window frames while others contained water-damaged household belongings. You could see the water line on the plaster of the walls - almost level with the top of the doors.

I reached the Main Street and the scene of the TV shots: parked at the Police Station opposite were two Portacabins being used as their base. Not only had the Police Station been flooded but it is now not possible to get to the Market Square without taking a detour. The scene in the street was one of intense activity: property repair vans; workmen in yellow jackets, with face masks and hard hats busily attempting to get things done. Shops were closed down both sides of the street, mostly those independently run and reliant on insurance money. Only Gregg’s and Boot’s were back in business. Other shops had, somewhat ironically, re-opened in the old Job Centre building - now called ‘Main Street at Mitchells’. An old warehouse has also been made available for more shops and various banks had set up mobile offices in Sainsbury’s car park. There is a definite determination to keep going.

At Workington the collapse of one bridge and the closure of the other is a severe blow to the community. The town is cut in two, with the shops and school on one side of the river and many of the residents on the other. In the first fortnight Network Rail built a temporary station to pick up passengers and take them over the river to the south side: this meant they did not have to travel the many miles round to reach the shops and schools. The Army has also built a footbridge so that children can still walk to school.

The work of the Churches Together in Cockermouth has been greatly appreciated; Cumbria Fund has made grants to the churches to assist them in their work. Immediately after the flood the Anglican church (Christ Church) opened its doors as the Flood Relief Centre and an ecumenical team of volunteers served hot drinks and refreshments day and night. Hundreds of sandwiches were served, and politicians came and went: including Gordon Brown, Hilary Benn and David Cameron. The churches have all worked together well and by being very visible on the streets in yellow jackets marked ‘Chaplain’.

The clergy have been working on the streets and regularly visiting homes and the emergency evacuation centres. Christ Church has the Centre for Relief and Help where people still go for aid. Their Sunday morning service was broadcast last month and this month Songs of Praise has been televised from the Anglican All Saints Church, when we heard first-hand accounts from Christians badly affected .

Cockermouth, Keswick and all the other tourist places are definitely open for business: at the moment they are extraordinarily quiet. It is hoped that very many tourists will make a point of visiting them this Easter: they need our support.