The Pang Valley Flood Forum was set up in January 2013 as a joint initiative by West Berkshire Council, the Environment Agency and Thames Water. The aim of the Forum is to act as the principal consultation body to the three agencies on flooding and drainage issues in the Pang Valley.

In 2017, the PVFF was registered at the Charities Commission (CC) as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and it has been entered onto the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1176292.

We work with the agencies to oversee and monitor the delivery of flood risk mitigation works (Actions) within our Flood Risk Management Plan. Everyone who may be affected by or has a role to play in the management of flooding has the opportunity to influence or contribute to the development of new Actions.

The Forum is run entirely by volunteers from the 10 Parishes in the Pang Valley, with representatives from the three agencies attending our quarterly meetings. We are also involved in raising general awareness of local flooding issues and in improving individual resilience. We share knowledge between parishes to the benefit of all. The committee is made up of members (Parish Council Chairs or Flood Wardens or both) from each Parish.

Our Forum helps both individual homeowners as well as Parish Councils to achieve improvements in flood resilience. We keep the agencies focused on the tasks required and hold them to account when things go wrong. Flooding will happen more often and more substantially in the future, and it is vital that voluntary groups like ours, where local knowledge can make all the difference, are encouraged to thrive and succeed.

Objective: We work for the benefit of the community, for the preservation of human life and property and for the benefit of the environment, to provide, preserve, maintain, restore and/or improve flood defences and flood protection measures and flood damage remediation in particular in the communities along the river Pang and the Sulham Brook, principally in the county of Berkshire.

Techniques:

• We develop and monitor the delivery of a Flood Risk Management Action Plan (FRMAP) for the Community, adding more actions as appropriate.
• We assist in the progress and improvement of the FRMAP by adding further appropriate, affordable solutions to manage flood risk and support the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive.
• We raise general awareness of local flooding risks before, during and after any event within the communities.
• We communicate with members of the communities regarding the work of the Flood Forum and flood risk management agencies via Parish Newsletters, community meetings, social media etc.
• We create opportunities for all groups, organisations and individuals to share their knowledge and experiences of local flooding with the relevant flood risk management agencies.
• We review the flood risk management authorities' policies and make recommendations for change if appropriate.

The Pang Valley Flood Forum is registered at the Charities Commission (CC) as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with the Registered Charity Number 1176292.

The following parishes are involved:

• West Ilsley
• East Ilsley
• Compton
• Hampstead Norreys
• Frilsham
• Bucklebury
• Stanford Dingley
• Bradfield
• Tidmarsh with Sulham
• Pangbourne

Meetings are held quarterly, or more frequently if deemed necessary, normally via Teams or face to face if necessary.

If you would like to get involved, please email us. We can introduce you to your local flood warden or you might want to come to a meeting and discover more.