As I write this piece, yesterday’s local floods are fresh in my mind. The waters of the River Chelmer rose alarmingly, and some local residents suffered much anxiety and flood damage to homes, cars and personal property.

At the same time, there was a remarkable outpouring of community spirit and good neighbourliness. A schoolgirl going to Helena Romanes School was lent a pair of Wellington boots so that she could wade across a flooded road. A young man laid sandbags at the front door of an elderly lady’s home to prevent her home being flooded. Two men arrived at a flooded property, each carrying pumping equipment. Three teenage boys acted as impromptu traffic controllers seeking to stop drivers driving through flood water and thus causing a bow-wave to flow into private homes. What a wonderful sense of helpfulness.

Whilst, at the same time, there was verbal abuse and indifference thrown at these helpful people by drivers who really couldn’t care what damage they were causing. Their tunnel-vision meant that they were going to get through the water come-what-may.

A bad situation - made ugly by selfish indifference – but redeemed by the good selfless behaviour of others. I know which I enjoyed seeing.

David Ainge