Prince sees work in wake of flooding
Charles ‘has donated to relief funds for flooding’
ENVIRONMENT: The Prince of Wales saw the work in South Yorkshire in the wake of the devastating floods as it emerged he has donated to the recovery fund himself.
Prince Charles yesterday visited the village of Fishlake where the deluge swamped hundreds of homes and businesses.
THE PRINCE of Wales witnessed firsthand the huge operation which was undertaken in South Yorkshire in the wake of the devastating floods as it emerged he has donated to the recovery fund himself.
Prince Charles yesterday visited the village of Fishlake to see the work that has been undertaken after the deluge swamped hundreds of homes and businesses in the region.
He met firefighters, police officers and soldiers on the outskirts of the village near Doncaster, then headed to the worst-affected areas.
Clarence House confirmed that Charles had made donations to flood relief funds in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
The donations, made through the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation, have been given to Foundation Derbyshire’s flood relief fund and another to the South Yorkshire Community Foundation.
The donations have been matched by the Duke of Westminster.
Last month, the Army was called in to help the relief effort in stricken towns and villages across northern England and the Midlands following weeks of saturating rain.
Charles spent two hours yesterday in the village chatting to many of the locals lining the streets and looking inside some of the badly damaged homes.
Many of the villagers gathered outside the Old Butchers cafe which owners Louise and Claire Holling turned into a relief centre during worst of the flooding.
The Royal visitor praised the pair when they turned up later at the village hall, serving refreshments for locals and dignitaries who had gathered to meet the prince.
As he left, Charles told the crowds: “I hope you’ve been in and tried those cakes. They’re amazing those two, aren’t they?”
Charles also met Angie and Scott Godfrey, who run the Hare and Hounds pub, which was another focus for the community during the deluge. Mr and Mrs Godfrey made sure stranded resi
dents were fed by sending round hot meals on boats.
Mr Godfrey said to Charles outside the pub: “We were just going to get you a pint when you got here. You might have needed one by this time.”
The Prince replied “I do” and went inside for a quick sip of a
half of bitter. Charles also chatted to volunteers in St Cuthbert’s Church, which is continuing to act as a hub for donations for those hit by the flooding. He left Fishlake for a private visit to flood-affected farmers in Derbyshire.
As many as 1,000 homes and businesses were swamped in the flooding which began on November 7, with the South Yorkshire villages of Bentley and Fishlake particularly badly affected.
A fortnight after the floods, victims accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of throwing money around “like confetti” only after the event as he announced a series of measures designed to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
Every home and business hit by flooding has been given the chance to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to help boost protection, while farmers are in line for up to £25,000 to help them cope.