麻豆社

Alison Waring lived on Askern Road - the main road which runs through Toll Bar - in June 2007. She lived with her two sons and daughter. We chat to Alison about the affect the floods had on her family - for better and for worse.

鈥淲e watched the flood waters out of the window of our house, the water rose from both ends of the road and it just struck us. We moved some things up stairs but most of the stuff we wanted to keep we couldn鈥檛 get up the stairs. We didn't have house contents insurance either.

鈥淢y 17-year-old daughter was trying to scoop the water out as it came through the front door and it was hopeless. We were laughing about it when it was happening.

How did you feel?

鈥淚 tried to kill myself at one point - that is how bad it got. I just felt at a loss about what to do next. I thought, if I couldn鈥檛 get the help that we needed, then I thought my kids could do it without me. I thought they would just be better off without me.

鈥淔ortunately now I鈥檓 in the right frame of mind but I wasn鈥檛 then.

Contents of peoples houses in Toll Bar

鈥淎t the time I was so low. I tried to jump off North Bridge and I was arrested. I can talk about it now but at the time I couldn鈥檛 talk about it.

鈥淚f people do get that low, I want people to know 鈥� don鈥檛 do it because there is light at the end of the tunnel.鈥�

麻豆社 Radio Sheffield鈥檚 Good Neighbour scheme helped many of the communities who were affected by the floods, and it was just one of the places Alison turned to for help.

鈥淭he Salvation Army were fantastic. They gave me an oven, carpets for my house and a tumble dryer. They made sure they were there for me so I could talk to them.

鈥淚t was just a relief to know that I could cook in my house and I didn鈥檛 have to worry where I was going to the get the equipment.鈥�

Pulling together

Alison has lived on Toll Bar's caravan estate since August 2007 along with many other people who were affected by the floods. During the second week of June 2008, Alison has moved back into her old house on Askern Road with her children.

鈥淭he caravans turned our lives into little communities. We make the best of what we鈥檝e got. I used to be on nodding terms with people when I walked past people in the street. Now when we are in the laundry room (on the caravan estate) it鈥檚 totally different. It has had a really positive effect on us, it has boosted community spirit and we鈥檙e a lot closer and friendlier with each other.

鈥淚 was doing a BA Hons in Art, Design and Multi Media last year and lost most of the work in the flood. Hull University and Doncaster College have let me repeat the year. I handed in my work two days ago. At least I will now get my degree that I worked so hard far.鈥�

As Andy talks to her, he notices the cleaning products which are around the house.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to leave it mucky. I don鈥檛 want people to think I鈥檓 mucky, especially after the floods. It smelt mucky and disgusting so I鈥檓 still going round the house trying to get rid of that smell.

鈥淚鈥檓 back on track now.鈥�