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Flood & Toast – Resilience and Innovation Community Awards
Counting Down to Flood & Toast Awards
Celebrating Northamptonshire’s Unsung Flood Resilience and Nature Heroes
With just a few days to go until our first-ever Flood & Toast – Resilience and Innovation Community Awards, the RAIN Project team is feeling incredibly grateful, excited and humbled.
On Thursday 4th December, we’ll be gathering at Chester House for an afternoon of celebration with our nominees, their families or colleagues, our project partners, sponsors and friends from across the Harpers Brook and Wootton Brook catchments.
This event is all about people, the quiet heroes, the community champions, the nature advocates and the neighbours who step up when it matters most.
Why These Awards Matter
Over the past two years, we’ve been privileged to meet so many residents, volunteers, landowners, schools and organisations who have gone above and beyond to support flood resilience and nature recovery in their local areas.
They’ve:
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checked on neighbours during storms
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created wildlife habitats
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implemented natural flood management
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educated young people
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adapted their land to store water
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supported community preparedness
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rolled up their sleeves and made space for nature
Many of these actions happen quietly, without expectation of recognition.
A Celebration of Community, Collaboration & Care
Next week’s awards bring together nominees across 11 categories, from Flood Action Individuals to Young Resilience Champions, Climate-Resilient Schools, Nature’s Champions and more.
The afternoon will be co-hosted by our Project Manager Sarah Parr, alongside special guest Mary Long-Dhonau OBE, known to many as Flood Mary, a nationally recognised property flood resilience advocate and long‑standing supporter of the RAIN Project.
We’re also delighted to celebrate alongside our valued category sponsors, as well as Watertight International, our overall event sponsor. Their support has helped make this celebration possible, and reflects the strong partnerships at the heart of RAIN.
As we count down to the event, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to every person who took the time to nominate someone they admire and to every resident, volunteer, school and community group doing their part, big or small.
Whether you’re planting trees, reporting blockages, creating emergency plans, supporting neighbours, or giving nature a helping hand … your efforts matter.
We look forward to an inspiring afternoon acknowledging the dedication, compassion and resilience shown across our catchments. We feel honoured to work alongside such passionate communities and can’t wait to raise a toast to you all.
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The RAIN Project is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
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