As the one-year anniversary of the December storms draws closer, anyone affected by the flooding last year is being encouraged to attend a special ‘Flood Fair’ being held in Kendal on October 8.

The event at K Village has been organised by South Lakeland District Council to encourage more people to apply for up to £5,000 of grants being administered by the council to install measures to protect homes and businesses from future flooding.

So far more than 600 applications have been made under the scheme, but with the grants still available up to the closing date in March 2017 the council is keen to ensure that as many people as possible take advantage of the funding available.

The Flood Fair on October 8 will allow people to see displays of the type of flood products available under the scheme, and representatives from the council’s flood grant team will be available to discuss applications and answer questions.

Suppliers of the flood products – which range from flood doors and barriers to special valves and seals – will also be represented to demonstrate how the flood protection works, and other flood support agencies including the Environment Agency, Cumbria Community Foundation, the Business Emergency Resilience Group (BERG), Red Cross and Age UK will have stands.

Councillor David Fletcher, SLDC’s portfolio holder for the environment, said; “This really is a one-stop-shop to find out about the support that is still available to anyone affected by last year’s flooding.

“It may be 10 months on but there are many, many people in South Lakeland that are still living with the impacts of Storm Desmond.

“The Flood Fair is somewhere you can come and find out more about what help is out there.

“The £5,000 grant scheme announced by the government doesn’t end until March next year, so don’t think you’ve missed out, there is still plenty of time to apply and it could really help you to protect your home or business.

“Come along on October 8 and chat to our team, they will be happy to explain everything you need to know about the grants, eligibility and what sort of things you could get funding for.

“You’ll also be able to look at some products and see how they work and meet representatives from other organisations offering flood grants and support for flood victims.’’

The Flood Fair takes place at K Village, Kendal, on Saturday, 8 October, and is open 9.30am to 5.30pm.