Doncaster flood victims to receive 'stress reducing therapies’

Residents affected by the devastating 2019 floods across Doncaster will be able to receive ‘stress-reducing therapies’ to help with their mental health.
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Finance bosses at Doncaster Council have signed off a £20,000 grant to charity Woodlands to deliver wellbeing therapies for those who lost their livelihoods and possessions.

A report said that post-floods, affected communities across Doncaster have suffered a number of ‘low level mental health issues’.

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The project will focus on areas such as Bentley, Fishlake, Woodlands, Carcroft, Adwick, Scawthorpe, Edlington and Warmsworth.

Stranded car in flood water at DoncasterStranded car in flood water at Doncaster
Stranded car in flood water at Doncaster

The River Don took on a month’s rainfall in just one day which led to 51 road closures.

More than 1,200 homes were advised to evacuate and the council received 2,000 calls to its emergency helpline.

Figures also show 80,000 sandbags were issued and 700 properties were flooded or deemed 'unlivable'.

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The original therapy pilot was funded by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation, with additional funding from Woodlands Speaks which was designed to provide wellbeing support to the community.

A spokesman said: “The project will offer the use of stress-reducing therapies.

“This will include talking therapy to aid deep relaxation and the opening of the subconscious mind to positive scripts and suggestions, counteracting the pattern of negativity, anxiety or trauma presented by the client.

“The need for this project has been supported by the Humanitarian Health Steering group and Woodlands Speaks have been undertaking a pilot in one community. The communities of interest have also highlighted a need for the project to be widened.

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“The options around this are whether to invest or not and the level of investment. Not investing was ruled out on the basis this is an excellent opportunity to increase the low level mental health support within a community setting delivered by our third sector organisations outweighs the investment, due to the match funding associated with the project.”

The devastating floods which hit Doncaster cost the council more than £650,000 in recovery and the equivalent of 2,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools were drained away from one borough village alone every hour for 18 days.

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