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Flooding victims in Cumbria will get practical help with their clean-up operation from Lancashire housewares manufacturer What More UK.
The Altham-based company has sent out pallet loads of its Wham brand heavy duty brooms, brushes, mops and mop buckets to some of the worst-hit areas, to be given out free to householders whose homes have been flooded.
After contacting emergency response centres in Carlisle and Kendal to establish what was needed most, What More UK dispatched 800 mops, 400 mop buckets and 400 heavy duty stiff brushes to the two areas. As soon the delivery point details were received late on Wednesday afternoon, the stock was picked from the warehouse, palleted, loaded and on the road to Cumbria.
The mops, brushes and mop buckets will be distributed through the emergency centres, with special priority given to the elderly and those in greatest financial need.
Tony Grimshaw, director of What More UK, said: “When we saw the devastation to people’s homes caused by this week’s floods, and with the prospect of more rain still to come, we wanted to do whatever we could to help.
“We made some initial inquiries and found that basic items to help with the clean-up – obvious things like stiff brushes and mop buckets – were in desperately short supply. We were able to quickly have them loaded and on their way to flood emergency response centres in Kendal and Carlisle for distribution to those in most need, especially senior citizens.
“One of my heroes, Winston Churchill, famously said in 1941: ‘Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.’ We hope we’re giving the tools that will help people in Cumbria finish the tough job they’re facing and, wherever possible, get back in their own homes in time for Christmas.”
The deluge brought by Storm Desmond flooded an estimated 5,000 homes across Cumbria and Lancashire, causing widespread damage and power cuts. Rainfall levels broke all previous UK records, with some of the worst-hit areas experiencing more than a month’s average rainfall in just one night. Honister, in Cumbria, recorded 13.4 inches of rain in the 24-hour period between December 4 and December 5.
In the wake of the storm, people across the North were quick to respond, sending donations of food, clothing and everyday essentials for the flooding victims. Some people lost everything when raging torrents swept through their homes and businesses.
One of the pallets of mop buckets loaded at What More UK’s Altham warehouse, bound for some of the worst-hit areas in Cumbria to help flood victims with the clean-up
