00:00Following the severe flooding in Lydney in November 2024, three individuals went above and beyond their formal roles to help understand and address the causes of repeated flooding in vulnerable areas of our town, most notably around Lakeside Avenue and the Lydney Recreation Grounds.
00:19The floods of November 2024 caused devastation to homes and businesses in and around Lydney. Our winners displayed a deep commitment to Lydney and they took it upon themselves to put on their boots to walk the affected areas, investigate the historic flood patterns and trace why the water failed to drain, instead continuing to back up into homes and community spaces.
00:44Importantly, none of these officers were in post when Lydney's Bypass was built over 30 years ago, a development that altered local drainage routes and as time passed, obscured or buried crucial infrastructure.
00:58Despite this, they committed themselves to uncovering long forgotten culverts, making blocked waterways and relearning the drainage systems lost to memory and maintenance.
01:09Working with their teams, they have re-established drainage routes through land owned by Lydney Recreation Trust.
01:16Cleared culverts buried under decades of debris, soil and bramble.
01:22Initiated the return of East Marsh, historically a floodplain, to its natural marshland state, enabling it to once again act as a vital water catchment area.
01:34This is just not policy or procedure, this is genuine care and determination.
01:41These three officers, physically pushed through dense overgram, waved into overrun areas and did the legwork to find the culverts and water paths that could give Lydney long term relief.
01:54They brought hope to residents frequently affected by flooding and restored an area of Lydney to its natural function as a flood buffer.
02:03Their actions represented the very best of public service, a combination of knowledge, humility, determination and care for the community they serve.
02:17They have done more than respond to a crisis, they have helped re-engineer our town's resilience.
02:24So the winners are, if I can ask Matt to come forward.
02:45Alex Thrift, Joe Baker and Nathan Choate.
02:48Alex and Joe can't be with us tonight, but we've got Nathan here.
03:06Yeah, thanks everyone.
03:16It's nice to be recognised for work that we do usually, where people don't see us.
03:21But hopefully the work we do will help everyone in that area, believe me, that we, well, try to help really.
03:28So, fingers crossed, we'll see you at the next reading store, but we'll carry on with all that good work.
