July 2007 Floods
Comments on the website coverage
Thank you to everyone who has written in over the days when I've been trying to keep people up to date with what's been happening, I appreciate the feedback.
Tim Goodwin
Thankyou again for your great coverage of the floods in Upton. For those who are not old Uptonites like myself and do not know Upton, it still makes interesting and informative viewing. I see that morale is high - best wishes to everyone in Upton. And as they say down here in Oz, "Good on ya".
Tony Jakeman
Gympie, Queensland, Australia comments:
I wish to add my thanks for a wonderfull web site and for the brilliant coverage of the July Floods. Coming from Naunton and having attended school both in Upton and at Hanley Castle Grammar School I still follow your local events closely. I remember the 1947 flood, did this one reach the same level as that one or was it larger?
Rebecca Rollinson
Hanley Swan
You're quite right! we certainly don't want to test the defenses to that extent.
It is such a shame that homes and businesses have been inundated again. I just hope that we get some more seasonal weather for the rest of the summer.
Your photos certainly captured the spirit of upton residents and showed the reassuring presence of all the emergancy service personnel.
Ann McClean
LLANMEREWIG
We were expecting to be in Upton last weekend for the Blues Festival :) But we didn't make it as we had terrible weather over here as well. I have followed your daily postings and photos with great interest - despite everything, it was good to see everyone pulling together. Hopefully, we'll be with you for next year's Blues Festival :)
Diane Morris
Wolverhampton
Can not thank you enough for all the pictures and updates on your web site. I have had a caravan on Boye Meadow for four and half years, but have been coming to Upton for years before that. It is a very special place and we spend a lot of time there. I came down last Thursday to stay for ten days and to enjoy the Blues Festival, which is my favourite. I went back home on Saturday morning for a job interview and was hoping to get back asap but could not get back my caravan is among those on your web site under water. Please can you let me know when the water is clear so I am able to come down and help clear up. Thank you once again Diane
Eddie Webb
Thank you for your reports and photos that have kept us up-to-date with the flood situation day by day.Your service to the community and those concerned about the town,and they are world-wide, is quite outstanding.You have kept us all in touch with the town and it's people we love so much. You deserve a medal and more. Thanks Ted Webb (Eddie Webb's nephew} PS. Do you need a new pair of wellies ??
Rebecca Rollinson
Hanley Swan
Thank you for your very informative photographs of the recent floods.
Angie Williams
Swansea
Well done to the web for letting us all know what its like at the moment. We are regular visitors to Upton – we love the place! Planned to be there for the blues festival but for obvious reasons did not make it. Twenty of us have booked a river cruise and hotels for mid September. We will still be coming even if the hotels are still a bit damp! We will even bring our paint brushes and help you redecorate if necessary! Good luck with the clean up operation. If we can help in any way let us know as we will be only too glad to do so. See you in September ( if not before !) Angie and The Simply Social Gang
Fred Symes
Upton
Thanks for keeping the website up to date with pictures - I've been able to
follow just how far the water has come up to my house (in Dunns Lane).
On an ironic note, having visited Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, and
experiencing the mad rush for provisions and petrol, it was nice to get back
to the sanity of Upton where the co-op seemed to be fully provisioned and
staffed, with no hint of a panic. (Everyone seems to have a different set of
priorities, and were in the pubs getting slowly hammered :-) ).
Anyway, thanks for the photo record, I've been sending links to the site to
all of the people who have contacted me about what's happened...
Geoff Leighton
Manassas, Virginia, USA
As a native Uptonian with Upton very often in my thoughts I would like to congratulate you on such an excellent web site. More specifically, your daily in fact hourly coverage, of the past few days of the flood situation has been absolutely incredible. On the East Coast of the United States (Manassas, Virginia just outside Washington DC), we are in quite severe drought conditions and would welcome some but not all of your water supply! Thanks again for the incredible coverage. It is greatly appreciated.
Colin Mason
Many thanks for your help I am Upton & surrounding area mobile shop which I have been doing for nearly 29 years and with the help of your web site and your photos and my local knowledge of the area I still have managed to deliver to my customers all the bread etc they need it means quite a few extra miles a day but its worth it thanks again your service is spot on not like the radio or tv stations
Paul Wilkinson
USA
Comments: Hi Jackie - thanks for helping us follow the news of the floods. You do a great job. Could you make ite easier to read your personal news by relocating the floating index, which obscures the text of your comments on my machine? Thanks
Elizabeth Bassett
Holly Green
Yet again you have done a marvellous job at keeping everyone informed
through your comments and wonderful photographs of exactly what has been
happening in Upton.
Paul Tandy
Liverpool
Just a quick note to say how sad I am to view your latest predicament - but as ever it looks to me from afar that the spirit of the local people is strong.
I love Upton and 8 of us were planning to come to the Blues Festival and camp for 3 nights but for obvious reasons we never made it!
All I can do is wish you well and I hope things get back to normal as soon as possible
Suzanne Lyons
Barnstaple
I lived in Upton from 1954 to 1963 and my Dad Jack Mason lived there in
School Lane until his death in 2002.I visit Upton often.
Thinking of you all in Upton, my heart is with you. I am so upset by events
there.
Barbara White
Scottish Borders
Having lived in your area, I am well used to the fact that Upton floods, usually in the winter months of course, but I have never seen so much surplus water in the town. I was last down for the Jazz festival, when the ground was a bit damp and the river was coming up and started to flood during the week afterwards.
I would like to congratulate you, Jackie, on your photographs and the daily updating of your website. I would also say that my heart goes out to all the people who have had water in their premises. Let us all pray for a long dry spell so that everything can dry out quickly.
Anthony Collis
Stourbridge
I think the photos that you have taken are excellent - thank you. Are you flooded? It seems as if the TIC is dry - for the moment! Is the river still rising? I presume that the Blues Festival was called off as the musicians would not been able to get through.
Peter Booth
Upton
Many thanks for keeping the info coming.
Tracy Brind
Ryall
Great pics on the Upton website, thanks for keeping us residents of Ryall updated with what's happening in town, we can't get to see it for ourselves we only hear stories or views from the BBC helicopter on the news.
But in true Upton spirit 'The Blues Festival' goes on!!
Thanks for all your hard work.
Les Simmonds
I know you are very busy with every thing down there, but I just watched a news report from the Arab Al Jazeer channel, showing Upton from the air and the lower part of the main street.
Also a simular report was on CNN neither mentioned the flood defence was not erected, it as if that little bit of news is being kept secret, it looks as if Upton has gone international on the news channels
Lindsay Dyke
Devon
Wishing you all in Upton all the best at this awful time. Seen all the photos and feeling really bad for you all! Thanks for keeping the website going, I espect lots of old Uptonites are watching these pages and sending their love to you all! All the best!
Richard Hannah - Chairman UFF
Many thanks to Jackie Surtees, our faithful Upton web site provider (she also keeps the festival site up to date - any delays are due to the committee not telling her what is going on).
The Upton Blues Festival was planned for this weekend - our sympathies go out to them and we hope they will not be discouraged from
having another go next year.
Paul Harrington
Just wanted to say thank you for all the info and pics that you have been posting on the site. You're doing a marvellous job of keeping us all informed in these difficult times. If there is anyway that i can help with anything at all, then please let me know.
Roly Alcock
You are doing a cracking job documenting and reporting as events unfold.
Simon Wilkinson
Longdon Heath
Many thanks for keeping us all so well informed.
Lin & Bruce
Monmouth
Hope you are all OK - we were in floods in Usk years ago and it was awful - good luck to all who are affected - our best wishes
Dave
Texas USA
Your pictures are wonderful - thanks. Before moving to Texas I spent some time working for Vowles (a coffin manufacturer in Upton upon severn )and stayed at Old street B&B for a while. Also stayed at Tiltridge Farm for a few nights. Spent many evenings dining at the King's Head. Being such a long way away I was concerned to hear about the flooding in various parts of England and wondered how Upton upon Severn had been affected. Your pictures have answered all my questions and it's lovely to see some recent pictures to remind me of my happy time there. Hopefully the barriers will make it there soon and most of Upton upon severn will remain dry. If it's any consolation, here in Texas ( a place called Dickinson, just south of Houston ) we've had the rainiest July (so far) for 46 years! However, I'm sure the temperatures here are higher than England! Anyway, thanks again for the updates - they are much appreciated.
Alan Turnbull
Chesterfield
Would like to say how much your photographs tell us about the changes happening to Upton. They say more than words. Just been to the dentist - next check up may be in the new medical centre. Hope the flood defences are not required this winter.
[Later] Your pictures show what I hoped I would never see again. Seems to be worse than ever. I would never have guessed that the flood defenses were stored away from Upton. I hope this changes from now on. I hope the Jazz Festival avoided the flood threat. That weekend we were in Worcester helping my daughter move to the city end of Bath Road. I know the river was high then. Hope the spirit of Upton is not too depressed.
Les Simmonds
Thank you so much for all the recent pictures and information posted on your site, I just cannot believe after so much money has been spent on the flood defence system, and it has been proved to work, Yet when its needed they do not put it up?
Surely the officials who are in charge should be sacked if it was a private company they certainly would be. I am so sorry for all the people in the town who are flooded due to their incompetence.
Your web site is the only news media that keeps me in touch with the area, thank you so much for all your effort it is greatly appreciated.
Steve & Sally Peters
Upton
I just felt I had to write and thank you for providing the residents of Upton with such a wonderful service. The website is excellent and at such terrible times, we, and I know many others, really appreciate such full and up to date information.
We back on to the Ham and can tell you, the water has crept up our garden over 12ft in 5 hours and we still have the river to come! Thank you once again for doing such a wonderful job!
