Hotels are usually visited for romantic breaks, summer holidays and special occasions… but guests at one Shropshire hotel are evacuees who have set up temporary home as flood waters put their lives at risk.
The Best Western Valley Hotel at Ironbridge has thrown open its doors to 30 residents heeding advice from the emergency services to quit their homes for safety reasons as flood levels continued to rise.
Staff at the hotel have been putting in extra shifts to ensure their displaced guests are made to feel as at home as possible, with one guest saying the efforts have been “really unbelievable” and “beyond incredible”.
With businesses left reeling from the torrential flooding, those at the centre of the crisis have issued a plea for people to remember Ironbridge is open for business and called on tourists to plan visits this year to help the economy of the World Heritage Site recovery.
Lisa Snape, The Valley’s Sales and Marketing Manager, said: “There’s been an unbelievably wonderful community spirit in Ironbridge and despite everything that is going on we have tried to create a happy environment while giving as much support as we can.
“We have had 30 guests, couples families and pensioners staying with us. Our night porters have been on duty as normal but we have all literally been on call and have had arrangements in place to accept guests up until midnight where necessary.
“The staff have been brilliant and really gone above and beyond, working past their end of shift and working extra hours to help out. We have made new friends among the local community while trying to offer a home-from-home environment.
“We opened up the car park for locals and the hotel to provide warmth, comfort and friendship for anyone involved. It’s been important for those guests to have a safe place to stay and we were delighted to be of assistance.
“The emergency services, Telford and Wrekin Council, the Environment agency and everyone else involved have been brilliant throughout the crisis. The council has provided us with regular daily updates at the hotel and we’ve had a host of media here – television, radio and newspaper journalists.
“Media attention has put the area in the national spotlight but while that has been very good for the area and the community aspect has been promoted, it’s vital that people across the UK know Ironbridge is open for business.
“We have had calls from people asking if they should cancel their booking with us in June! Definitely not – we have been open throughout and had access to our hotel throughout.
“We need people to visit Ironbridge, spend their money here – now and in future months – to help Ironbridge with its economic recovery. The area is a massive tourist attraction and we would love to see people planning their summer trips, winter breaks or Christmas in Ironbridge.
“Whilst people across Shropshire put ‘shop local’ at the forefront of their mind for all occasions – shopping, gifts, meals, nights out. There isn’t much we can’t provide in Ironbridge.”
Ian Donnelly, 54, his partner Grainne Buggy, 47, and their 17-year-old dog Flossie took up residence at the Valley after being advised to leave their home on The Wharfage for safety reasons.
Grainne is a consultant nurse at University Hospitals Birmingham while Ian, an ex-serviceman, is the lead on the Midlands Implementational Team of Getting It Right First Time – an NHS improvement programme delivered in partnership with The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. He is also Director of The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, a group of 40 providers that aim to improve the healthcare veterans receive from the NHS.
Ian said: “My job means a certain amount of travelling around the country but I do carry out a lot of my work at home and have essentially set up office at the Valley. It has allowed me to continue doing my work with no impact. It’s been just like working from home!
“Grainne has been getting in to work and the hotel has seen to it that she has had clean scrubbs to go to work in every day. We have been exceptionally well looked after. The Valley doesn’t normally cater for dogs but they have gone out of their way to make our Flossie feel at home as well. Flossie loves carrots and they have provided her with a bowl of carrots each morning.
“We have been evacuated twice, spending Tuesday and Wednesday at the hotel last week and then returning on Monday of this week. We don’t know what we will be faced with when we return home, there was no damage when we got home last week, but I’m not too sure about the under floor pressure.
“We’ve lived in Ironbridge seven years, seen the barriers go up and down, but never been evacuated before. The Valley has been a home-from-home, the staff have been exceptional and have taken all the anxiety away – we couldn’t ask for more.
“We can’t thank them enough for their support. It’s been incredible, really, with all of us staying here in the same boat, although we have been luckier than some. It’s like our own little community within the hotel and we have made new friends. We are always kept fully informed and the hotel desk provides a conduit of information.”
Another guest staying at the hotel said: “My husband and I are both pensioners and have lived in Ironbridge for 17 years – we’ve not seen anything like this before. It’s very rare but that seems to be the case all over the country.
“Our home doesn’t flood but we were advised to evacuate purely as a safety precaution. It seemed the sensible thing to do! We spent two nights at the hotel last week and moved back in again on Monday evening. When we pulled onto the car park on Monday I said to my husband ‘we are back home – our second home’.
“During this flooding crisis we have seen the very best of people. We have been kept fully informed with daily updates each evening at 5pm. The council, Environment Agency and other services have all been very kind and caring.
“The Valley has been more than a home-from-home. The staff have been unbelievable, beyond incredible, really, so kind, helpful and caring in every way. We’ve never experienced anything like that before in any hotel we have stayed at.”
