One of the key members of our Community Flood Group, Carl Scrivens, was recognised for his fantastic work in the community in the New Years Honours, being awarded the British Empire Medal. Carl heads up our maintenance team and has worked since Day 1 on the recovery and ongoing resilience work in the Parish. We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Carl and his family.
“One man was on the ground during Storm Desmond and has been ever since. Carl Scrivens, of Glenridding, couldn't stand back and do nothing as he saw his village flood time and time again in a matter of days in December 2015. He has worked tirelessly and selflessly to help his community recover and pull together to ensure it is never as badly affected by flooding in the future. From the first day of the floods he was central in clearing trees and debris under Glenridding Bridge. He spent Christmas Eve unblocking the drains of an elderly couple who were forced out of their home and cleaned to make it safe for the future. Now, he's been recognised with a British Empire Medal.
"I'm quite delighted to be honest," said Carl, who is a self employed agricultural contractor. "I'm very humbled and grateful to receive it. It's been a busy two years since Storm Desmond but you cease the moment when you have got the opportunity and that's what I did. It's not just my own voyage. I've had a lot of people help me out."
His commitments to helping the community get back on its feet have meant he's only undertaken about half his normal work and he said he's earned "next to nothing". But it meant a lot to him to ensure this work was undertaken.
"I have watched the older generation throughout my life do what they do," said Carl. "We just don't have those people on the ground anymore. It's taken for granted that it gets done - by for example the county council - but they don't have the men on the ground. I have seen everywhere deteriorate very slowly over the years. I just love where I live and I want to leave it good for the next generation, especially my daughters because they love where they live."
Carl thanked his wife Mandy and their three daughters - Anne, 19, Niamh , 16, and 13-year-old Molly - for their support.
He also extended his thanks to the individuals and civil engineering companies who have help put the parish back to normal. But, he says there's a lot of work still do to, with the next task to clear Grisedale Beck and Goldrill Beck in order to protect nearby properties. An instrumental member of Patterdale Parish Flood Management Group, he leads the maintenance team who are responsible for checking beck measurements and managing water and gravel levels.
He said it's about correcting years neglect which leads to the whole infrastructure of the dale going into disrepair following periods of heavy rain. Aside from his flood recovery work Carl has been an active member of the community for over 10 years supporting the Patterdale Church of England Primary School by creating a vegetable garden and a new play area. He also carries out regular maintenance work at the village hall voluntarily and is a founding trustee of the Village Hall charity.”
