My name is Nikki Stocks, I’m a Councillor on Todmorden Town Council and I’m a member of the Council’s Climate Emergency Committee.
I am very passionate about environmental matters, being particularly interested in the effects of flooding and ways we can help to reduce the risk of serious floods. Floods are made more likely by the more extreme weather patterns caused by long-term global climate change.
As a resident of Todmorden for over 30 years, I, unfortunately, have first-hand experience of the heartache that comes when your property is flooded.
In the last 20 years I have been flooded significantly 6 times. I receive the alert through my phone, the butterflies start in my stomach, my heart starts to pump faster and then I begin the task of moving all my personal belongings upstairs. The emotional strain that comes with each alert is enormous. Even when we’re lucky and it doesn’t actually become anything serious, I am still on high alert, monitoring the river levels and keeping my eye on the weather forecast, ready to go at any moment.
These stresses are not felt by just me; they’ll be a very real experience for many people in Todmorden, so I’m really keen on finding ways that the Climate Emergency Committee can work together with the people of Todmorden to help make a difference.
No matter how small the action, collectively we can make a change.
3 years ago, the Committee launched the “My Tree Promise” scheme, providing 100 free fruit trees each year to residents. The scheme was set up with the aims of mitigating the effects of the climate crisis, adding to the green canopy of the town, helping with the production of cleaner air, whilst giving back to the residents of Todmorden and providing food in the form of delicious fresh fruit.
We are currently discussing the details for a project for 2025/2026, so watch this space!
The Climate Emergency Committee and Todmorden Town Council also supports The Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub to put on an annual event as part of their Climate Challenge work.
Last year’s event: the Todmorden Tomorrow, Festival of the Future, was a big success, bringing together a number of local organisations, environmental charities and businesses, providing workshops, education, information and guidance to attendees on sustainable practices.