ON January 20 2021, Storm Christoph hit Warrington and brought with it the worst flooding seen in the town in several years.

A year on, the Warrington Guardian is reflecting on the events of 12 months ago - from the devastation that the waters brought to the heartening response of the community.

IN January 2021, Warrington Disability Partnership was coming off one of the most difficult years in its history due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the charity.

The country was back in lockdown amid a surge in Covid cases, and the future remained uncertain for businesses and organisations across the globe.

There is never a good time to be hit by flooding, but this was surely among the worst.

And when Storm Christoph left parts of the town submerged by water, WDP’s Centre for Independent Living in Sankey Bridges was at the centre of it all – in more ways than one.

Warrington Guardian:

Charity co-founder and chief executive Dave Thompson said a year on from the floods: “Before we came into work, we heard it on the news that there had been heavy floods.

“There were diversions on the roads, so we knew that that it must have been bad.

“Then, when we hit Evelyn Street, there was a river outside the gates to our car park – there was a good 12 inches of water.

Warrington Guardian:

“As you looked down Eveyln Street, the whole of the road was just a river of running water and there were blue lights everywhere.

“It was only then that you started to realise how bad it was.”

Thankfully, the building itself had been largely unscathed by the storm.

But many of WDP’s neighbours were not so lucky.

Instantly, staff and volunteers stepped in to help – initially by providing hot drinks to rescue workers, then by giving bacon and sausage sandwiches and hot lunches away to affected residents as well as cleaning products as the recovery began.

READ MORE: Significant upgrades after Storm Christoph to make ‘lasting flood improvements’

The likes of Asda, Warrington and Halton Hospitals’ Charity and food banks would also assist by providing donations distributed through WDP.

“We started to look at what we could do, and we sent a couple of people down to offer hot drinks to the emergency services,” Dave recalled.

“When we got down there, we saw the devastation it had caused.

Warrington Guardian:

“Then we had residents coming in, but at the time we were in lockdown and we couldn’t open the café for people to come in and sit down.

“Your first instinct was to let people come inside and get some warmth, but we couldn’t do that because of the Covid regulations.

“So instead we started taking hot food and drinks out to the residents, and we did that for nearly three weeks.

“I think it was also really important to provide a listening ear, because having those conversations really helped people.

“It was really lucky that we had a café available in the middle of it all, and we made the best of it.

“The community spirit really showed.

Warrington Guardian:

“Although it was really sad to see, there was a good feeling because we’d been able to do something.

“When you see a disaster happen in front of like that, you want to do something.”

The kind gestures of 12 months ago – which also saw WDP’s vans used to transport replacement furniture and electrical goods to flooded homes – have not been forgotten by those who received a helping hand during their hour of need, with lasting bonds having been formed as a result.

Dave said: “I think it brought us closer together with residents.

“Many of them have been really good to us since, because they’re now regulars in our café.

“Some of them didn’t know about what we do at the centre – they thought it was just for disabled people and didn’t realise it’s a community asset.

“One of them actually nominated us for a national award, which we received funding for.

“The majority of people have been able to get on with things, but there are one or two sad stories where people didn’t have insurance.

“But for me, the real pride was the way that the community responded.

Warrington Guardian:

“The people who were affected by this were our friends and families, and if Covid has taught us one lesson it’s that there’s a lot we can do together.

“There was a real feeling of pride in Warrington.”