Hampshire Economic Partnership (HEP) recently held three business engagement events across Hampshire entitled The Way Forward, The New Government agenda – What it means for you.

With over 210 people attending across Southampton, Basingstoke and Winchester over 77% of delegates where from the Private sector and ranged from SME’s through to large corporate companies.

Paul Kinvig, Chief Executive of HEP, kicked of the business engagement event with an overview of the current economic situation including facts on current UK deficit, changes in public sector structure and funding and the formation of new Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP’s).

This then led into round table discussions, facilitated by key private sector business people. The base questions were:

1. What are the key issues facing business/organisations since the emergency budget? and
2. What are the key issues you are examining to ensure future growth for your business?

These provoked conversations around skills, funding, LEP’s, partnership working and positive working with the Public Sector.

Paul commented: “This was a highly encouraging event with a significant number of private businesses attending where topics ranged from LEP’s through to skills to funding issues, Public sector structure and cutbacks.

Without doubt through the three events, the private sector has shown real desire to work with the public sector especially in the new frame work.”

Veterus Consulting MD Bradley Wright said of the event: “I’m incredibly grateful to Paul and the team for having the vision to put his event together.  It was very encouraging to so many leading organizations and their senior managers getting out to really understand the issues at grass roots level and working collaboratively to support and position Hampshire for growth in an unusually challenging market.

He continued: “Our area is perfectly positioned to thrive in the new knowledge-based economy with world-leading research and high-calibre individuals.”

HEP are currently collating all of the comments and views discussed at the events and a report will be available on the HEP website by 23^rd August. www.hep.uk.com

This short video taken on the 6th anniversary of the Boscastle floods shows the incredible restoration work that has taken place since the flooding and offers a short glimpse at the beautiful village of Boscastle after the terrible floods that could have cost dozens of lives were it not for the skill, readiness and teamwork of the military and civilian agencies that responded on 16 Aug 2004.

On the 16th of August 2004 Boscastle in Cornwall suffered a catastrophic flash flooding event that nearly cost the lives of 100 people. A combination of unusual weather conditions led to incredibly high, and very localised rainfalls in the vicinity of the village as the remnants of Hurricane Alex combined with sea breezes to pile up 40,000ft high clouds that lingered and poured torrential rain onto the steep sloping valleys (“flashy catchments”) and roads leading into the Boscastle valley. In Boscastle itself 112mm of rain fell in 90 minutes!

A floodwatch was issued at 1239 after the Lesnewth rain gauge recorded 3mm of rain. At 1315 a further 15mm of rain fell in 15 minutes. After several more sudden downpours and lightning induced power cuts; the River Valency began to breach it’s banks at 1530. Half an hour later a 10ft high wall of floodwater rushed through the visitor carpark at an estimate 40mph and people began to be trapped in buildings by the torrential streams of water now flowing.

At 1622 rescue helicopters from RAF Chivenor and RNAS Culdrose were scrambled and an hour later they were already winching the first of 100 people to safety from the rooftops of rapidly disintegrating buildings as local emergency services and all available military and coastguard rescue helicopters rushed to the scene.

Studying this event we can see the importance of early warning and a fast, coordinated multi-agency response.

Looking at the recovery and restoration efforts since provides us with a best practice approach to flash flood mitigation – provided you have the budget for it.

The National Budget for Civil Protection in Pakistan is reportedly £500,000 and the area flooded is the size of England. In UK we’ve spent more than 10 times that amount on a small village…