Talitha Koum staff need help getting past flood water

Talitha Koum The Hope Centre in Witnesham offers support to women who have become vulnerable due to life circumstances, including domestic abuse and past traumas.

However, staff say that the important work they do is made more difficult by the fact that the road to access the charity is often badly flooded.

The centre, which is separate from The Hope Centre church in Ipswich town centre, has put an appeal to source an unwanted 4x4 vehicle which staff could use if the roads became treacherous. 

Tina Prince is the service manager at Talitha Koum. She said that the road has flooded 14 times since October – with four of those times in the past week.

Tina Prince explained how the road is often flooded, meaning that staff cannot access the charity and women can't be taken to their appointments. Pictured: Chair of Trustees Gary Baker and Tina Prince. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)Run-off from the fields means that the road is often flooded. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)The flooding can reach dangerously high levels. Pictured: Chair of Trustees Gary Baker and Tina Prince. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

Water completely flooding the road. Image: Tina Prince (Image: Tina Prince)

“You have all the water on the fields, which will then drain off the fields,” she explained.

“Last Thursday afternoon was an example of how quickly it can change. It was raining throughout the morning quite heavily. The lane can literally flood in 15 minutes, so I was keeping an eye on it throughout the morning, because I thought, ‘We’re going to get stranded at some point.”

Within 15 minutes, the lane had flooded badly, and Ms Prince said that she and her support worker had to make the decision to leave immediately, and even then, it was “dicey” as to whether their cars would be able to cope with the deep water.

The team are hoping that a Land Rover or 4x4 vehicle can be donated, which will be able to cope with the flooding. Pictured: Gary Baker and Tina Prince. Image: Charlotte Bond (Image: Charlotte Bond)

“It’s the women we feel really bad for, because we’re not here to be able to support them properly,” said Ms Prince.

A local farmer is sometimes able to ferry staff over the lane in his tractor, but this is not a sustainable way to get to work.

Ms Prince is hoping that the community can rally behind Talitha Koum and help them find a suitable vehicle such as a 4x4 or a Land Rover. This could not only be used to get staff into work, but to transport clients to their appointments.

Can you help Talitha Koum? Get in touch via their website by going to www.talithakoum.org.uk or by clicking here.