The Prince of Wales told residents in Skenfrith that extreme weather events no longer appeared to be once-in-50-year occurrences.
The Prince of Wales called for a “holistic” approach to flood management during a visit to Skenfrith, where residents have experienced four major floods in six years. He also visited a tree-planting charity and the Duchy of Cornwall’s first regenerative farm business tenancy.
The Prince of Wales has called for a “holistic” approach to tackling extreme flooding during a visit to Skenfrith, a Welsh village that has experienced four major floods in six years.
William met residents Rod and Helen Wyatt, who told him that floodwater had nearly reached gravestones in a cemetery opposite their home. The couple have tiled the ground floor of their house and now live with the possibility of further flooding.
William said it must be “so demoralising” to face the worry of flooding each year, adding that the idea of a “one in 50-year event” no longer made sense because such incidents appeared to be happening annually.
“So, it’s trying to understand how we can do a better holistic view of the whole catchment area, so we’re dealing with the whole problem,” he said.
He suggested slowing water using farming and landscaping measures, planting trees and improving monitoring to identify when conditions might worsen.
William later visited Great Tre-Rhew Farm in Monmouthshire, where he met representatives of environmental charity Stump Up for Trees. He helped harvest field maple seeds and planted a sessile oak, the national tree of Wales.
The charity aims to plant one million native trees across south Wales and the Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly known as the Brecon Beacons. It collected 35,000 seeds last year and hopes to increase that total to 60,000 this year.
Jenny Knight, the charity’s director, said William was looking at “not just the problems but the solutions as well”. Representatives from the Duchy of Cornwall also took part in discussions about nature recovery, climate-resilient forestry and a long-term partnership.
William ended the visit at Monkhall Farm in Herefordshire, where he met 25-year-old Harry Davies, the incoming tenant of the Duchy of Cornwall’s first regenerative farm business tenancy. Regenerative farming aims to restore soil health, increase biodiversity and improve the water cycle.
“We can help other farmers understand this is totally doable,” William told Mr Davies.
