A staff member’s quick-thinking saved a charity’s North Yorkshire headquarters from a “major disaster” as flooding hit the premises, the organisation’s chief executive said.
As rain poured down over Harrogate on Monday (May 6), Elaine Wright decided to check on mental health charity Wellspring Therapy and Training’s building in the town.
She and her husband Ian called at the site in High Street, Starbeck, and, to their horror, found water pouring into its basement and garden room – causing extensive damage.
Wellspring, which provides short and long-term private counselling for the Harrogate community, said it is likely that this part of the building will now be out of action for months.
But Nick Garrett, the charity’s interim chief executive, said things could have been much worse if not for Elaine’s actions.
“Thanks to the foresight, heroics and commitment of Elaine, a major disaster has been averted. Had she not checked, it is likely the flood damage could have affected the whole building. That would have severely comprised all our counselling sessions, with devastating results.”
He said the charity will be able to carry on as normal with training sessions previously held in the basement relocated.
“Thankfully a water pump helped to contain the damage, but if it continues to rain heavily, we are vulnerable to further flooding,” he added.
Elaine said: “The flood damage was awful, but we managed to stop it getting worse. I’m so glad we can stay open.”
Nick explained that Elaine and Ian – along with Paul Tinsley, Wellspring’s operations manager – spent hours cleaning up the flood damage, adding: “I can’t thank them all enough.”
He said the charity is now working to dry out the whole affected area and is assessing the damage.
“Whilst our building is a key asset it’s worth reflecting that our amazing staff are what makes Wellspring Therapy and Training such a fantastic organisation.
"We owe a huge debt of thanks to Elaine – she had the foresight to walk up from her home nearby to check on our building on bank holiday Monday.”
The incident comes as nearby Knaresborough also felt the impact of flash flooding.
As The Press reported, residents were forced to evacuate their homes in the town after just under two inches of rain fell per hour between 6pm and 8pm.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service station manager Dave Dixon said the speed and volume of the heavy rain caused flooding in some properties and “overwhelmed local drainage systems for a period of time”.
He added that two vulnerable households were evacuated to temporary accommodation and some residents decided to leave their properties themselves.
But Mr Dixon said most residents could stay at their homes because the floodwater had not entered their property, or they could find safe space upstairs.
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