Member Article

Yorkshire manufacturer offers flood defence support to local communities

One year on from the devastating floods which hit its home region, a Yorkshire manufacturer, is offering to donate profits from a flood defence project to a local voluntary group.

Britain’s largest manufacturer of specialist in-building water, oil and gas leak detection systems, Andel, will donate products to groups who are part of the ‘slow the flow’ movement.

The Marsden-based company has nearly 30 years’ experience and supplies its unique Floodline leak detection services to businesses worldwide to allow them to take early action to prevent damage, reduce disruption and limit loss and is now looking for a local voluntary group to work with.

More than three weeks’ worth of rain fell in 48 hours in West Yorkshire in July 2019 and more than a dozen flood warnings were in place in Calderdale and flood sirens were heard in Todmorden. Flooding hotspots remain in Yorkshire: Calderdale, Bradford, Leeds, Ilkley and Sheffield and geographically, Andel sits in the middle of these areas. Commercial director, Mark Harris, said: ’We are offering is to carry out a flood defence job in an area that is directly threatened by the inability to stop the rainfall coming off the uplands and down into the river that causes the flooding.

Any profit we make on that flood defence work we will give to the associated ‘slow the flow’ group who are trying to reduce the flow from the uplands into the river. The profits will be given as products determined by the group.

So overall the properties flooded get protection and the money they pay us they know the profit element is then going directly to benefit them further by trying to stop the flooding in the first place.’

Andel was founded in the early 1990s by the late Ian Pogson who, from his garden shed, created a leak detection system like no other on the market. In the early days, Pogson employed just a handful of staff to support the development and manufacturing of his new Floodline system. Andel is now the largest employer in Marsden.

Mark Harris added: ’At the beginning of the year, we visited the National Flood Forum in York and heard those affected by flooding talk about their experiences. They told us most focus has been on protecting buildings, but we understand the critical need to keep the water where it lands - on the hills, moors and mountains.

Flooding starts in these places which is why we want to support the ‘slow the flow’ movement and be part of a solving the cause rather than just patching up the effect.

We want to continue Pogson’s legacy and support our local community in a way the best way we can.

Nobody is talking about flooding because of Covid-19 but it hasn’t gone away, and winter will soon be upon us again.’

If you are part of a group or know someone who is, contact Aaron Brian, Sales Director at Andel.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Andel .