As explained in Chapter 2, during the Appreciative Inquiry interviews, the project teams collected data about people’s preparedness for flooding via a rudimentary scale. They were asked on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = not prepared at all; 5 = very prepared) how prepared they would be if they flooded tomorrow. They were then asked why they had given that score.
In the Plymouth, Weymouth and Authie Valley pilot sites, the teams collected additional data via paper and online questionnaires:
• in Plymouth, the flood preparedness questions were included within the online and written surveys for two public consultations, and the team collected further data via a Google form
• in Weymouth, the team collected written responses at several awareness-raising drop-in events
• in Authie Valley, a newsletter was circulated with a link to a Google form
The data was taken as the baseline scores for each community’s water risk awareness and flood preparedness. This information helped the project teams to understand their communities’ knowledge of flood risk and to plan appropriate interventions to increase their scores.

The summary table shows that across the BRIC partnership, flood preparedness scores were low, ranging from 1.9 in Weymouth to 2.7 in Kent. The average score across the eight pilot sites was 2.2.

In the Authie Valley, 76 people were surveyed, 42% of whom were retired people over 60, who comprise part of the BRIC project’s target audience. During the debrief, the responses to the Appreciative Inquiry made it easy to have conversations with the inhabitants. They felt involved and included and did not hesitate to give their own opinions on the results

Restitution de l’enquête appréciative en atelier lors de la Fête de l'aulne - les paroles des habitants sont écrites sur des post-it tout autour du stand (Châteaulin, 24 septembre 2022 © Cerema)

This data showed that water risk awareness within all pilot sites was low, even though many of them suffer from regular flooding.

The semi-structured interviews aimed to:
• record the interviewee’s view on the territory and their connection to the Aulne
• identify the mechanisms that could reduce the inhabitants’ vulnerability to floods
• present the planned activities within the BRIC project framework and identify possible partnerships

The semi-structured interviews were carried out with corporate stakeholders involved in flood risk management, planning and the social sector.

The interviews were carried out with 16 people working in 11 different organisations.

The interviews were based on a guide consisting of open- ended questions. It addressed four themes: the local context, flood prevention, actions considered within the BRIC project framework and miscellaneous questions.

Level of public interest

The people who were interviewed seemed very interested in the project.

What worked well ?

The goals were achieved. More specifically, these interviews enabled the project team to understand the expectations of the stakeholders and the public, to create an exhibition of photographs showing the flooding and to organise an Aulne- based event, which have all been carried out. The interviews also allowed the team to form partnerships, which lasted throughout the project.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience? 

This method enables face-to-face dialogue with various corporate stakeholders. The discussion is open and does not limit what the respondent has to say. The semi-structured interviews strongly and positively influenced the actions carried out within the project’s framework.

One of the best ways of raising public awareness and boosting future engagement is to involve people in activities directly. Because of this, the pilot sites have developed several experiments using different methods to get people involved.
First, large-scale events with a multi-themed introduction enabled the project teams to talk about flood risk in a broader context that is often less anxiety-inducing. Here, the project teams introduced the risk in relation to protecting the environment, discovering biodiversity, water sports activities and festive events. All these events encouraged discovery, friendly relations and solidarity.
Then, the project teams led various activities with communities. Photographic exhibitions, public meetings and collective reflection workshops were other ways of connecting with communities, allowing them to look at where they live from a fresh perspective.

Another important element was using art. This particularly popular method allowed the project teams to approach risk from an angle other than an institutional one. Art walks, painted murals, plays, and photography helped introduce scientific information about flood risk, often without communities realising it.
Fun and educational activities were also a good way of discussing flood risk. They provided an accessible and light- hearted introduction for all generations, especially children, who are particularly receptive to them.
Finally, experiences that use new technologies, such as virtual reality, helped raise public awareness since these immersive experiences allowed risks to be better represented.
Below is a summary of the events held:
• Large-scale events:
» Litter-picking campaign in England
» Resilience festival in France
• Exhibitions in France
• Public consultations in England
• Using artistic methods with a site in each country
• Running awareness-raising campaigns with fun
activities in England
• Sharing visualisation systems with augmented reality in
France

It can sometimes be helpful to provide targeted responses to local expectations regarding risk. As a result, the BRIC project teams have developed specific tools, some of them innovative, for two English sites and one French site:
• Homeowner guide in England
• Flood safety plans in social housing blocks in France
• Newsletters for targeted communities in Englan

With the world becoming ever more connected, it is vital to use new communication methods to develop a risk culture and reach as many populations as possible, including the youngest generations.
To do this, all the pilot sites have developed an online app to enable communities to discover their local area and its features, including flood risk, in a connected and interactive way.
One French site also recorded podcasts about local people’s perceptions of floods, life with risks, and activities linked to the river. These were uploaded onto the internet and social media.
• Story Maps developed on several sites in both countries
• Podcasts made on a French site

Throughout the project, Thames21 conducted monthly litter picks around the urban waterways on Canvey Island (dykes, ditches, and the retention pond). These litter picks demonstrated a simple action the community could take to reduce local flood risk by cleaning up water retention areas. It also created a space in which they share their opinions on flooding, ask questions, and receive information from Thames21 staff.
As take-up for these litter picks was low, Thames21 instead devised a schedule of more engaging litter pick events: litter picks with resilience walks. These walks were designed to:
• make the litter picks a more discussion-based activity
• enable volunteers to share their knowledge about flooding
• allow Thames21 to share information about the BRIC
project and to suggest how volunteers could increase their flood resilience

Canvey Island

The events were widely advertised, using both posters and social media.
The posters were displayed in key community locations, including the council offices, the town library, supermarkets, and local churches to have a large community reach. This form of advertisement was important due to the lack of technology uptake among older Canvey Island residents.
Thames21 also advertised the litter picks online through
their Facebook page and through posts created and shared
on eight different Canvey Island dedicated Facebook pages, which have a total reach of a thousand residents across Canvey Island. Online advertisement has been a successful mode of engagement to reach the large proportion of adult residents who have access to some form of social media. Social media enabled Thames21 to expand the reach of litter pick advertisements and to raise awareness of the BRIC project across the island.

The litter picks and resilience walks had a low uptake. Possible reasons for this are:
• event sites were often 1.5 to 2 miles away from the targeted community members and, therefore, not local enough
for residents to feel connected to the site or for them to understand how the activity related to protecting their homes
• residents’ lack of past flood experiences and their lack of understanding of flood risk on Canvey Island, meaning that flood risk is not a priority
• other residents’ reluctance to engage because of an unwillingness to accept their vulnerability to flooding
• the socioeconomic status of people on Canvey Island, in that it is not populated by “active elderly people”
• the effect of COVID-19 on the volunteering sector

Residents’ attitudes towards flooding have presented a significant challenge to Thames21. There is an urgent need to inform residents about flood risk and how they can build their resilience, but there is also a need to ensure that residents are not left feeling helpless. Thus, it is important to ensure that events are advertised and conducted in a way that allows
for productive conversations and constructive proposals for building community flood resilience.
As the uptake for the litter picks and resilience walks was low, Thames21 has now planned to combine future activities with those arranged by other organisations. This collaboration will benefit from increased advertising and multiple activities to appeal to a broader audience. The team have planned nature identifier walks at Canvey Wick with “Buglife” in March 2023. These walks aim to introduce community members to the BRIC project and to expand the flood resilience network. Thames21 hopes these events will be more successful than the litter picks because they are not directly centred on flooding, allowing conversations about flood risk to evolve more informally.

The goals of the “Along the Aulne” festival were to:
• showcase the natural heritage of the Aulne Valley
• raise awareness of the environment through different themes (the characteristics of aquatic environments,
biodiversity, floods and adapting to climate change)
• encourage networking between local stakeholders and
residents

This event was open to everyone, with free entry.

Along the Aulne” took place over the weekend of 24 and 25 September 2022, at Châteaulin, Saint Coulitz and Port-Launay.

Stand at “Along the Aulne” (Châteaulin and Port-Launay, 24 and 25 September 2022 © Cerema)

The “Along the Aulne” festival was put together by an organising committee comprised of Cerema and local organisations: the communes of Châteaulin, Port-Launay and Saint-Coulitz, EPAGA (public organisation for the planning and management of the Aulne riverbed) and the non-profit association Polysonnance. The actions proposed by Cerema within the BRIC project framework have formed a foundation which links local organisations with the Aulne. They have been invited to suggest their own activities. The event offered educational stands, exhibitions, performances, artistic activities and a friendly atmosphere. The themes addressed were flooding, biodiversity, water management and fishing.

The event brought together more than 250 people of mixed ages.

Level of public interest
The public were very interested and the conversations were extremely positive.
What worked well?
Setting up the organising committee meant local organisations could use this event. This committee is currently considering keeping the event going after the BRIC project.
The public liked the light-hearted approach to environmental issues offered by some stands. The inhabitants were moved
by the photographic exhibition on flooding since it was about their town. The performances and food offered by the local festival committees went down very well. They brought people together who might not have come if the event had only been about flooding.

Challenges faced

On an organisational level, the project dates did not fit in with the local authorities’ schedule, particularly around voting on budgets. Therefore, it was a challenge for the communes to be able to contribute financially to the event.
During the event, getting the public to come on a Saturday afternoon was difficult. The event took place far from the centre, and the timings could have been more convenient.

Lessons learned

• The partnership with the non-profit association Polysonnance was very beneficial: this organisation works closely with and knows the population of Châteaulin and the surrounding areas, who were the target audience.
• Employing the services of an entertainment professional (e.g. stage manager) could greatly help the organisation.
• The food and performances on offer are important features for encouraging the public to come.
• As expected, only talking about flooding does not entice people to attend. It is better to raise awareness indirectly, linking to other themes associated with the river.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience? 

This event was very much appreciated by the community. The organising partners would like to keep it going.

Cost, schedule (implementation time,etc...)

It is hard to assess the time spent organising this event since many people from different organisations were involved, and the workload varied over time. In addition, some activities were carried out separately from the Aulne festival and were repeated at the event.
Organising the event was undoubtedly equivalent to 12 months of work. More specifically, a meeting by the organising committee was held once a month between February 2022 and July 2022. Meetings were proposed with each potential contributor.
The general activities were free to the public, except for the food organised by the festival committees. The festival as a whole (with all the provisions offered) cost approximately €20,500.

The photographic exhibition on past floods aimed to:
• raise awareness of flooding
• create a collective memory of the risk
• showcase the residents’ experience

Anybody, in particular the inhabitants of the Aulne Valley.

The photographic exhibition was open to the public before the “Along the Aulne” festival (19 to 23 September 2022 at Polysonnance) and during the event ( from 2-5pm on 24 September 2022 at the Aulne festival site)

The exhibition consisted of 12 panels showing 82 photographs. It was organised into themes to show the different elements of flooding or the sequence of events. The themes were:
• “Everyone together”
• “Recurring floods”
• “A few hours to prepare”
• “Isolation”
• “Living with”
• “Cleaning up”
• “Acknowledgements”

The project team did not count visitor numbers while the exhibition was at Polysonnance. This exhibition allowed the project team to reach people who had not come specifically to see it. Around 40 people visited the show at the Aulne festival.

Level of public interest

Responses were very positive. The exhibition encouraged conversations amongst the public, with all ages represented. Different generations shared their experiences.

What worked well ? 

Using photographs of places known to local residents was very powerful.

challenges faced

While putting the exhibition together, getting authorisation to use the photographs was difficult. Creating usage agreements took time.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience ? 

The exhibition was very well received and effective.

Cost, schedule (implementation time, etc.) 

The cost of putting on the exhibition was €4,000. It was put together in the space of 6 months. This amount also includes agreements to obtain photo rights, printing and purchase of materials.

The PCC BRIC team designed and led two public consultations for the council about planned capital projects: the Trefusis Park Flood Relief Scheme (Lipson area) and the St Levan Park Flood Relief Scheme.
The purpose of these public consultations was to:
• seek people’s views about the parks and how they could be improved, both in terms of amenity and biodiversity
• obtain information about people’s flood preparedness
• find volunteers to form flood action groups and assist with
the creation of story maps
For the Trefusis Park consultation, people were asked to select their preferred design option for seasonal wetland basins.
For the St Levan Park consultation, people were asked to share their experiences of flooding. This was to gather local flood data for a business case for Flood Defence Grant in Aid funding.

The public consultations were aimed at residents living close to the parks. The two central communities that PCC works with are areas with high levels of deprivation and vulnerable residents, such as the elderly.

The consultation zones were set at 500m around the boundary of each park. A letter and leaflet were delivered to every property within those zones (over 8,500 homes).

PCC used its Appreciative Inquiry (AI) results to design the public consultations ( for more details about the AI process, see Chapter 2). Because of the AI findings, the team held more face-to-face events than would typically be run during a public consultation:
• Trefusis Park: Six consultation events in various locations and at different times of the day/week
• St Levan: Five consultation events, including a Family
Fun Fact Day, which was a collaboration with Interreg- funded Preventing Plastic Pollution, Green Minds (EU funded), Girl Guides, Pollenize (a local Community Interest Company) and a colouring wall artist
In addition to discussing matters relevant to the public consultations, the PCC BRIC team displayed “Slow the Flow” graphics to facilitate conversations about flood risk awareness and surface water run-off.

Consultation surveys were carefully drafted to ensure they were relevant to the design team and properly reflected people’s views about what they like about the parks and what they would like to see improved. 

Events for both schemes were well attended, apart from the online consultation sessions. A summary of the attendance rates and responses is set out in the table below.

Everyone who completed a survey answered the flood preparedness questions. For more details about these findings, see Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 – Assessing vulnerability to flooding.

The PCC BRIC team consider that both public consultations successfully achieved their objectives whilst raising flood risk awareness within the two pilot communities. Both schemes were generally well-received. Many people were enthusiastic about them, not only from a flood risk reduction perspective but also because of the opportunities for improved amenities and biodiversity within the parks.
For the Trefusis Park scheme, the information gathered has resulted in inclusions within the design for pathway creation, signage and seating that would not have occurred without the community’s feedback. It has also informed choices made: for example, people advised against installing formal seating because of vandalism issues, so tree trunks will now be used instead.
Because of people sharing their experiences of flooding within the St Levan Park scheme survey, the design team now has excellent “on the ground” data about specific flooding and drainage issues in the roads surrounding the park. This data will help to inform the required flood alleviation works.

The public consultations were initially successful in identifying people who were interested in volunteering activities (Trefusis Park scheme – 28 people; St Levan Park scheme – 26). Such activities included park improvements, litter picking, collecting history about the area and joining a flood action group. However, converting those people into engaged volunteers has proven to be more difficult, particularly in the Lipson Vale / Trefusis Park area, where engagement was adversely affected by COVID-19 restrictions. The UK returned to lockdown shortly after the public consultation finished, meaning in- person activities were impossible, and the team lost the traction created through the consultation process.
Volunteer engagement has been more successful in the St Levan area, with ten of the 26 volunteers actively involved with the newly created flood action group.

Participatory photography workshops are a creative form of engagement, using imagery to address the issue of flooding. Thames21 teamed up with professional photographer
Jack Delmonte to run a series of community participation photography workshops on Canvey Island. The aim was to bring the creativity of photography and the power of the image to raise awareness of flooding issues on Canvey Island and what it is like to live in and surrounded by a wetland.

Three workshops were hosted on Saturday mornings and four editing sessions on Thursday evenings from October to November 2022 at a local community hub, ‘The Yellow Door’.

 Participants were provided with a brief, ‘Life Below the Wrack Line’, which refers to the line of natural and unnatural debris material left behind on the shore at high tide. This title was designed to make participants consider the relationship between the community on Canvey Island and water. It
was suggested to participants that they could consider the following:
1. Living below high tide sea level; Canvey’s “submarine mentality” (Wilko Johnson)
2. Things that are left behind - what, why, where, who, how?
3. The intermingling of natural and unnatural, transcending
boundaries and borders
4. Wet-Land. Flood Risk – Flood Beauty. Natural landscape –
Managed landscape

These prompts were designed to help participants consider the complexities of the natural and unnatural and how that intermingles with flooding on Canvey Island. Participants then took a wide variety of photographs based on their creative interpretation of the brief.
An exhibition presenting the photographs was held in January 2023, around the 70th anniversary of the devastating 1953 floods on Canvey Island. The team held the event in the War Memorial Hall, which was built just after the floods and is now a central hub for the community, so it has symbolic significance.
Photographs presented at the exhibition will also be posted on social media to increase the number of people they reach and to facilitate further community conversations about flooding.

Thames21 had hoped for more participants at the participatory photography workshops, but encouraging community members to come to events has been challenging ( for further comment, see Chapter 6). However, the workshops were a valuable engagement strategy for those who attended because they opened up conversations about flooding through indirect means. Using indirect, creative means is beneficial when addressing personal and emotional issues. It can make people more willing to talk than they might have been when directly asked about flooding issues.

The aims of the artistic activities were to:
• raise awareness and keep the collective memory of flooding alive by sharing inhabitants’ experiences
• share knowledge related to floods and good practices in reducing vulnerability to flooding
• reach a broad audience, which is rarely involved in actions to reduce vulnerability
The group La Folie Kilomètre organised creative workshops and a sensory walk along the Aulne. The creative workshops aimed to record what the inhabitants said and encourage them to share their experiences, stories and ideas. The workshop results allowed the project team to devise the walk route and the features along the walk and to put together a group of “accomplice” inhabitants who intervened during the walk.
As part of its activities, La Folie Kilomètre created three products that were used during the walks:
• a clickable map (used to support the walk)
• a model of the Aulne Valley (shown at the start of the
route) and
• a historical frieze about the floods (shown along the route).
These creations were given to a local partner (EPAGA) for other uses.

There were activities for:
• the general public
• children, with the participation of schools
• families with a link to the non-profit association
Polysonnance

The project team put each walk together based on the workshops with the public:
Sensory walk with school children by La Folie Kilomètre (Châteaulin, 8 April 2022 © Cerema)
• children from two primary schools carried out three workshops for a walk in April 2022
• the wider public carried out five workshops (three of which were with people in a cultural and social centre) for three walks in April plus one in September during the Aulne festival
The walk started and ended at Port-Launay; the pedestrian stretch of the walk was in Châteaulin. A bus ride joined Port- Launay and Châteaulin.

The workshops lasted one to two hours, depending on the audience. They were adapted for around ten people or twenty schoolchildren. These workshops suggested several activities:
• discussion around a map of the flood risk prevention plan to create a clickable map using anecdotes
• making images, a creation or a collage
• simulating and anticipating behaviour during a flood
• telling stories about the river

The workshops brought together 244 people, 60 of whom were schoolchildren.
The sensory walk brought together 111 people, 60 of whom were schoolchildren.

Level of public interest 

The schoolchildren and adults who attended were very interested. Some adults attended more than once. This commitment is proof of their interest.

What worked well?

The workshops and walks allowed different generations to share their thoughts about flooding in the Aulne Valley, using a sensitive yet non-dramatic approach. Conversations during the workshops were stimulated by a map of their homes and the idea of sharing their memories from photographs or on the ground. This fun approach went down very well with the children. Ice-breaker activities from the entertainment world were effective in the workshops with adults. During the walk, the theatrical sketches were very popular.

Challenges faced

Despite lots of advertising, the project team found it difficult to get residents to come to the public workshops.

Lessons learned 

The project team has taken two main lessons away from these activities:
• They confirmed that the public appreciates a sensitive and artistic approach to addressing the subject of floods.
• Linking up with a local organisation embedded in the territory and with its own network is vital for effectively communicating the proposed activities to the inhabitants.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience ? 

Cette méthode, notamment la balade sensible, a pour intérêt de toucher tous les publics et permet de dépasser des barrières is method, particularly the sensory walk, has the benefit of reaching all age groups and overcoming social barriers.

Cost, schedule (implementation time etc...)

The involvement of three people from the La Folie Kilomètre group cost €24,000, excluding tax (VAT does not apply). All activities, preparation and administrative components were spread over a year. On Cerema’s part, this took four months of full-time work.

•  To raise awareness of flood issues with residents living at the top of the hill who do not feel they will flood
  • To bridge the disconnect in flood knowledge between those residents and communities in low-lying areas
  Both pilot areas in Plymouth have steep-sided streets, meaning that surface water run-off during heavy rainfall quickly collects in the low-lying areas at the bottom of the hill, sometimes causing flooding. Appreciative Inquiry results highlighted a definite and important disconnect between people who live at the top of the hill (who said they do not need to worry about flooding) and those who live at the bottom in the flood risk areas. The PCC team have been using the “Slow the Flow” campaign as their primary community engagement tool to bridge this gap.

The team have principally targeted the diverse communities in Plymouth’s pilot areas – Trefusis Park / Lipson Vale and St Levan. However, the PCC team have also attended citywide events.

Events attended include:
• public consultation events for the Trefusis Park and St Levan Park Flood Relief Schemes
• a Pop-up event in Trefusis Park
• the St Levan Park family fun day
• a Climate Change event in the city’s main library
• a Fit and Fed session (part of a citywide holiday activity
and food programme to support families with children who receive benefit-related free school meals)
The team have also included information in a newsletter distributed to the Trefusis Park / Lipson Vale and St Levan areas.

With the help of graphics and ideas from the Slow the Flow charity, the PCC team have been spreading the message that wherever you live, you can make a difference.
The team have displayed the following:
• SuDS graphics (visit the Resources section of the PCC online Resilience Network: Bric Network - Dashboard (plymouth.bric-network.com) to show how urbanisation affects the speed and quantity of surface water run-off
• raindrop-shaped thought bubbles with suggested minor changes that can help, for example, not using the shower or washing machine during a storm or installing a water butt
• surface water flood risk map so that people can gain an understanding of problem areas within the city
PCC organised a mini water butt activity: children are encouraged to decorate an empty upturned plastic container with its lid still on but its bottom cut off. This container is hung up outside to catch rainwater.
PCC has also used a mini flood tank filled with tea-stained water as a conversation starter. People have been asked to guess why the water is so brown.
Newsletters have included the SuDS graphics, suggestions for slowing the flow and a “Make a Pledge to Slow the
Flow” competition to win a water butt, sponsored by South West Water ( for further details, see “Newsletters” section).

• As a result of the above initiatives, the PCC team have spread the “Slow the Flow” message to the following number of people:
  • Public consultation events – 159
  • Other events – 285, including 143 children
  • Newsletters – 8,535

«Slow the Flow” has been a successful community engagement tool to raise awareness of surface water flood risk within Plymouth.
The mini water butt activity has proved very popular. The PCC team have been delighted to receive photographs of the decorated versions “out in the wild”, capturing rainwater. It has also facilitated quality conversations with parents about slowing the flow while their children were busy with the task.
The colour of the water in the flood tank has drawn people to PCC’s exhibition stands and prompted some interesting discussions, also allowing the team to explain the dangers of flood water to children (and their parents).

The goal was to create flood simulations by using immersive 3D at two test sites:
• Quai de la Ruelle in Pont-Audemer; and
• the Baquets district in Manneville-sur-Risle.

The target audience was split into two categories:
• councillors and technicians
• general public: residents of these areas (with a significant
number of people classed as vulnerable), but can also be used for everyone

The team introduced the tool to the Pont-Audemer and Manneville-sur-Risle councillors on 22 November 2022 and later at a public meeting in the Baquets quarter on 7 January 2023.

The project team outsourced the web development of the virtual reality app to the company Marelle Studio. The app will be hosted on the BRIC project site.
The tool can be used with a virtual reality headset or a smartphone with a cardboard projector. Virtual reality makes it possible to see the waters rising at a given location in the Baquets district or the Quai de la Ruelle in Pont-Audemer. Users can view two scenarios:
1. the historic flood of 2001
2. a very unusual and severe flood (probability of 1/500)
A welcome portal lets the user choose the site and scenario. The simulation allows the user to test the app on the relevant site and move around while seeing the waters rising. They can also visualise what happens on either site and move around the virtual district from viewpoint to viewpoint. The user is immersed in a virtual atmosphere, including details of the buildings and trees in 3D models, and ambient sounds.

Level of public interest
The councillors showed high levels of interest when they could make a link with features of the local area, less so when they could not.
What worked well?
Above all, testing the headset together with projections on the table to be able to explain in real-time, and the most realistic representation of the areas studied.
Challenges faced
The main issue was finding the right angle for the tool to be seen as beneficial.
Lessons learned
Virtual reality is a tool that, like any tool, depends on the context in which it is applied.
Was it worthwhile for this target audience?
Using this tool was beneficial for the councillors. It has sparked the desire to have conversations with the public, which took place in January 2023 and aimed to go beyond the tool alone (drawing up a Communal Safeguard plan, for instance).

Cost, schedule (implementation time, etc.)
The app took seven months to develop and cost €25,000.

The objective of creating a householder guide to flooding in Weymouth was to provide residents with an easy-to-digest guide about how to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding. In England, there are many places online to access flood resilience guidance, but nothing tailored to specific areas. The guide is a simple booklet with key information and links to available resources.

The booklet was aimed at residents and businesses in the BRIC project area in Weymouth. The project team found that people respond better when a guide has information specific to their localised area. The vicinity has high levels of deprivation and
a high turnover of people. Therefore, the guide needed to be simple to use, without jargon.

The production of the householder guide has been time- consuming and challenging but productive. The process was:
1. Collect existing resources and previously produced guides
2. Collect community feedback on the proposed content of
the guide through online and in-person surveys
3. Collect stakeholder feedback on proposed content, tone,
layout and distribution through an in-person workshop
and email exchanges
4. Analyse the desired content, tone, layout and distribution
5. Write the first draft of the content and send it to
stakeholders for consultation and comment
6. Work with the graphic designer on the final draft
7. Send to stakeholders for approval
8. Print and distribute to the community
The project team wanted to ensure that the community and stakeholders got a say in the guide’s content. The challenge was to include all relevant information while keeping it simple and concise. It worked well by getting community feedback and then obtaining stakeholder input. Stakeholders included the Environment Agency, water companies, lead local flood authorities, and town councils

The Householder Guide has just been issued. The results will be published on the Web Platform Resilience Network.

The level of interest has been high, with very few negative comments from stakeholders and residents.
The main costs of the tool include staffing, graphic design, and printing and distribution. These should not be underestimated.

Challenges :

- The time it takes to develop a resource like this should not be underestimated. The collating of information and editing takes a long time, particularly when waiting for feedback from multiple stakeholders.
• Including the relevant information while keeping the document short and straightforward is difficult. The editing should include people from various backgrounds and expertise, including technical flood risk, resilience, and communication.
• It should be agreed on who will meet the ongoing printing and distribution costs beyond the project timescale. This requirement is particularly true for transient areas with a high turnover of residents. New guides can be distributed through community points, landlords, and housing associations.
This tool is an effective way to communicate technical information simply. It provides communities access to the tools and resources already available to them

The aim of the flood safety plan, modelled on a fire evacuation plan, is to depict, on a plan of the building and to the scale of a city block, the instructions to be followed to ensure the safety of a building’s residents in the event of a flood (safe havens, network outage, evacuation routes, etc.).

Building residents.

The project team presented the finished plans to those concerned in January 2023 in Pont-Audemer, and then to the councillors, technicians and social housing landlords.

Cerema decided on a method of drawing up the plans
and called for tenders to find a service provider (Osgapi) responsible for defining and applying this method on the pilot site at Pont-Audemer. The service consisted of two stages:
• designing mock-ups
• creating flood safety plans for both inside and outside for
two collective buildings and one individual building
Cerema also contacted the territory’s two social housing landlords. Siloge agreed to be part of the project.
On 23 November 2022, a steering committee made it possible to discuss the subject with Osgapi, Siloge, councillors and technicians responsible for the environment, and those who cover old age and disability.

Type of audience: councillors and technicians, social housing landlords and social housing tenants
Number of people: five councillors and technicians, one landlord and three social housing tenants

Level of public interest

There was strong interest from the landlord and the community. In both cases, the subject had not been addressed before, and people did not know how to create a flood safety plan.

What worked well?? 

The components that were vital to its success were:
• finding an interested landlord
• relying on a consulting firm with experience in dealing
with assessing the vulnerability to flooding

Challenges faced 

No flood safety plan existed, so it was necessary to research in advance to guide the work.
On another note, some tenants refused the visits.

Lessons learned 

The flood safety plan is an innovative tool that is worth further investigation. There are many questions, but not all can be answered due to the project’s duration.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience??

Yes, the community, in particular would have liked to continue discussing the subject. This interest gave the landlords pointers to continue working on the subject of floods

Cost, schedule (implementation time, etc.)
The time from writing the specifications to the final presentation was 12 months. It cost 37,200 euros (all taxes included).

•  To increase flood preparedness and flood risk awareness within the wider community.
  • To collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders and communities.
  Appreciative Inquiry and public consultation surveys in the Plymouth pilot indicated that flood preparedness scores were low in both the Trefusis Park / Lipson Vale and St Levan areas. Therefore, the PCC team decided it needed to raise flood risk awareness on a whole community scale, not just with those who had volunteered to be part of flood action groups. Due
  to COVID-19 restrictions preventing face-to-face events and the team finding that online events were unsuccessful, they created newsletters.

Newsletters have been sent to houses within the 500m public consultation zones around Trefusis Park and St Levan Park. Copies have also been made available at various events throughout the city.

The newsletters have allowed the PCC BRIC team to collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders by inviting them to submit articles. The following groups, projects and organisations have been included in the publications:
• key risk management agencies – the Environment Agency and South West Water
• internal PCC projects - Community Forest and Green Minds
• flood action groups from other parts of the city and the Neighbourhood Watch Team in St Levan
The newsletters have also enabled PCC to continue to spread its “Slow the Flow” message through the inclusion of graphics to show how urbanisation affects surface water run-off and suggestions of simple ways in which people can help to slow the flow.
In addition, the newsletters have included a “Make a Pledge to Slow the Flow” competition, sponsored by South West Water, who donated water butts for the winners.
Full copies of the newsletters can be found in the Resources section of the PCC online Resilience Network: Bric Network - Dashboard (plymouth.bric-network.com)

Over 8,500 homes within Plymouth’s two pilot areas have received two newsletter editions.

The PCC BRIC team considers newsletters a very effective tool for raising flood risk awareness on a whole community basis. They are one of the only ways to connect with community members who do not wish to attend events or are unable to do so.
Whilst only a handful of entries have been received for the make a pledge competition, they have been very thoughtful ones, which will now be used to further promote the initiative as engagement continues.

A story map is a digital tool in the form of a narrative, aiming to tell a story using interactive content that includes text, maps, images and photographs. Considering how easy it is to use and its possibilities in representing and covering subjects, this tool is used in many fields (science, geography, town planning, sociology, etc.).
Because of this, story maps have become one of the awareness- raising solutions used to support the resilience networks within the framework of the BRIC partnership. To do this
and reach the widest audience, especially those considered vulnerable, the content of stories should be varied, simple and educational.
For some pilot sites, users can add content to the story maps with photos or information during potential flooding episodes.
Because of their diversity, the story maps aim to meet several objectives linked to the project’s expectations:
• presenting the territories that are involved in the process through information on the locations and environmental characteristics
• offering the resilience communities interactive support in using social innovation tools
• an information and outreach portal that can be used in workshops, seminars and artistic events

Story maps can be used for the general public without separating people into categories. Nevertheless, although putting together the story maps relies on technical means, their content was devised to raise awareness, and their educational value is a bonus.

Since they are a digital tool, story maps can be accessed online via the pilot site resilience networks but also via the websites of some of the BRIC partners.

The story maps were developed in collaboration with Ogoxe and designed using the Esri (ArcGIS) tool. From the start
of the project, a co-construction process (Ogoxe and a pilot site representative) was set up to define a methodology, a framework for distributing tasks and a delivery schedule. In line with the co-construction approach, several workshops took place to share and structure the content and design
the page format. Effective communication between the two parties was vital. The technical support from Ogoxe was also beneficial for the partners who needed help understanding the ArcGIS tool.
Additional information is included in chapter 4 (Webmap / WebApp).

An example is the story map of the Oise Valleys pilot site:

https://vallee-oise.bric-network.com/partner-app/storymap

Composed of three parts, this storymap allows the Internet user to revisit the industrial past of the Oise valleys by considering the cohabitation of human and material issues with potential flood risks. Secondly, it allows users to
learn more about the methodology for defining vulnerable populations by providing access to interactive maps. Finally, a third part offers connected users the opportunity to increase their knowledge of prevention, control and resilience to flood risks.

What worked well?? 

Pour pouvoir faire un retour sur l’utilisation de l’outil, il est nécessaire d'avoir un recul sur son déploiement pour identifier les volets ayant bien fonctionnés.

Lessons learned 

Several lessons can be learned from the experience of designing a story map, including the need to:
• define a theme with enough resources to implement it
• simplify the ideas and the subjects covered to make
reading easier and encourage people to want to reach the
end of the page
• adapt the content so as not to bog down the pages
• offer users the chance to contribute to the process of
involving citizens

The podcasts are intended to be a digital channel for information and raising awareness. They are a tool that is easy to use and, since the podcasts only need to be listened to, they can reach a broad audience.

The podcasts developed by the CPIE Canche and Authie Valleys are aimed at the general public.

The first step when producing a podcast is to define the subject to be covered and sketch the outline, then select the voices appearing on the recording. The podcast can be an interview in which
one or several people are interviewed, and then the listener will hear questions and answers. Alternatively, it can be a report or documentary-type podcast in which one or more voices address the topic.

The CPIE made two series of podcasts:

First Series
The first series, Flooding and Adaptation, is in four parts. It involves meeting residents to hear their stories about their experiences of flooding. It consists of edited interviews so only the answers can be heard, not the questions.
Second Series
The second series takes a new approach to flooding, examining the impact on people’s leisure and recreational activities.
It consists of three podcasts, also carried out and recorded
as interviews. This series gives an account of the extensive impact of floods, looking even further than the dramatic things that can happen to houses, furniture or even the victims’ health. Indeed, people who do not live in a flood
zone and are less worried about these issues might find that their leisure activities, such as fishing, hiking or canoeing, are affected. People who do these activities as hobbies tell their stories in the three podcasts. This made it possible to give the inhabitants of the territory a voice.

Level of public interest

The seven podcasts posted amassed over 200 views on YouTube, representing approximately 30 views per podcast. Apart from the figures, getting any other feedback on whether the general public was interested in these podcasts is not possible.

Challenges faced

The logistics of recording and editing were the biggest challenge of using this tool. It was also a challenge to make contact with the valley’s inhabitants and persuade them
to participate in the podcasts. The project team needed to reassure those contacted about why their participation was significant. People were frightened and intimidated by the thought of broadcasting their voices on public platforms.

Lessons learned

Several lessons can be learned from this experience:
• Think ahead about an evaluation tool to assess the impact of the podcasts and the interest they arouse in a range of listeners.
• Use short formats of no more than 20 minutes to ensure listeners’ attention.
• Take the time beforehand to talk to the participants who will feature in the podcast to explain the point of this tool, what is expected from it and also to reassure them.

Was it worthwhile for this target audience?? 

Developing these podcasts was a good way of meeting residents and getting them to think about climate change and flooding. Creating this tool benefitted the CPIE, the organiser, and the interviewees. For the people who will listen to these podcasts, however many or few, the stories and information gathered will represent a significant benefit in terms of awareness and knowledge.