Measham was quick off the blocks to take advantage of the new Community Emergency Stores Scheme incentive having last year experienced serious flooding in the course of June's torrential downpours.

The Parish Council took the decision to apply as soon as the scheme was launched in December 2016 having already met with the Resilience Officer covering North West Leicestershire. There followed a series of meetings during which they were able to receive advice as they worked their way through the Community Response Plan Toolkit and completed the template. Measham now has its own bespoke Community Response Plan for severe weather and other emergencies, with a team in place to provide local assistance to residents needing help and to assist with damage containment and clear up operations if needed.

The completed plan was put through its paces with a validation exercise in March 2017 and at this stage the Parish Council became eligible for a grant towards tools and equipment with which to create a Community Emergency Store. The items selected include a storage cabinet which is now situated within the Leisure Centre. Other items included Flood signs and flashing hazard lights, brushes, squeegers and shovels for clear-up operations, hi-viz jackets, helmets and gloves for personal protection, plus megaphones and First Aid kits. Various items were available free of charge including a quantity of sandless sandbags.

Some facts:
How long to complete - 5 months
How many people in the planning team - 4
How many people in the response team - 8 at present and seeking to recruit others

Colin Manifold, Chair of Measham Parish Council, said "We hope we will never need to use it but we know where it is when we need it and we know our patch better than anyone else because we live here 24/7 and know where the issues are all the time. We are so proud to be the first to have a Community Emergency Store. It was on our wish list so when the opportunity came forward we grasped it straight away.

We're a very proactive council anyway and we are always keen to take advantage of grants and funding so the incentive provided the added benefit of bringing another £600 of resources into the village."

Measham is now one of over 40 Response Plans either in place or being developed throughout Leicestershire and Rutland.

To find out more about Community Response Plans and the support available from the Resilience Partnership Team visit www.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/csi/community-response-plans, call 0116 305 6101 or email emergency.management@leics.gov.uk