TWO months ago Stephen Gibbs was at rock bottom. Forced out of his Carlisle home by floods for the second time, the thought of having to go through it all again left him both heartbroken and angry.

And he wasn’t the only one. Yet it was while seeking refuge at the Crown & Mitre, alongside about 100 fellow flood victims, that he helped lead the city’s residents to unite in a way they never had before.

The Carlisle Floods Residents’ and Businesses’ Action Group was born to demand answers, but also to channel the anger of a community into what has become a new movement for positive change.

Stephen, of Eldred Street, is a lecturer in global leadership and change at the University of Huddersfield. 

His background, combined with his own personal experience of flooding, prompted him to lay the foundations for the group and help local people find their voice.


Stephen Gibbs He said: “The background is that a lot of us washed up at the Crown & Mitre with all our belongings, feeling shell shocked.

“We were together. We all shed a few tears together. At breakfast time people were going between tables talking to each other.

“Come the Thursday I was sitting in the foyer of the hotel thinking I can’t go through this whole process again.”

He spoke to hotel staff who agreed to let him use one of their meeting rooms, as well as print posters and flyers.

Stephen and son Luke set about promoting the event, handing out fliers in the city centre and spreading the word on social media.

On the night of December 10, Carlisle MP John Stevenson, city council leader Colin Glover and Ted Thwaites from Cumbria County Council all sat on the panel. Residents and business owners started to arrive, ready to vent their anger and call for some sort of answers.

Just days on from the floods, emotions would run high as many publicly shared their stories, concerns and fears for the future.

“It was a very important get together. We were all reeling. It had happened again. Everyone had genuinely believed that the flood barriers would do their job. Personally I thought we can’t just do nothing. It was a really positive meeting,” said Stephen, who chaired it.

A month went by and a second meeting was held, this time with a representative from the Environment Agency also attending.

“I proposed the meeting on January 7 but I was thinking ‘will people still be interested?’ I remember sitting in the bar at 6.45pm and someone said you’d better come through,” he said.

“There was this whole tsunami of people. I wandered through and saw the whole place was full. It was such a privilege to sit on that stage and see 600 people all in the same predicament banding together. I wonder if it’s the largest civic meeting Carlisle has ever had?”

One goal of the new group is to try and get across the real scale of the damage that has resulted from the floods.

“The damage that’s been done to Carlisle is epic.

“You can walk for almost three miles of non-stop devastation,” explained Stephen.

“Yet when I listen to officials speak, there doesn’t seem to be a narrative that encapsulates the true level of devastation that’s hit this important city in the north. That meeting was a mandate for action.”

What’s important now, he said, is that it isn’t just a talking shop but a positive channel for the emotion they are all feeling.

“Anger is an important emotion – an absolutely critical emotion. What places like Carlisle have to do is get angry.

“After the war what the British forgot to do was get angry with successive failures of leadership. The anger was not just about the flooding. We were angry about lots of things. And we were angry with ourselves for placing our trust in the bureaucrats, for being naive.

“What we have got to do is to turn that anger into action. And after the meeting people stepped up.”

Four sub groups have now been formed, each concentrating on a different area of the recovery. They are:

  • A visioning group, led by John Kelsall, to gather evidence of the flood defence failure and draw up a vision for the future
  • The Blue Ribbon Campaign group, launched by Emma Maskell, to keep up the pressure for effective defences to restore house values
  • A protest group, led by Beverley Branch, focusing on debate and protest, sharing knowledge and support and online campaigning
  • A business support group formed by Gary Mackay to share knowledge and work together to get back on their feet.

Stephen said what’s really encouraging is the fact that those involved are from diverse backgrounds, representing all different parts of society.

“I think it reflects a cross section of who Carlisle is. For us it is not just about flood defences, it’s about the city and the region.

“It’s an inclusive, creative group that can put together a coherent vision for the future,” he explained.

“People are still angry that the solution last time was a sticking plaster rather than a comprehensive long-term vision. That can’t happen again.”

Representatives from the group are also getting involved with the Cumbria Floods Partnership, which is working on flood prevention plans as well as trying to feed in to the national review.

As part of that they have asked MP Neil Parish, who chairs the Government select committee, to come to Carlisle.

“We want him to visit the city and take direct evidence, to walk the flooded mile and see the devastation first hand,” added Stephen.