By David Jeffels

THE floods which caused widespread devastation in the Hawnby and Helmsley area a decade ago are still vividly remembered by the victims.

For Darren and Sonia Leeming, the disaster was just one of four setbacks for their shop in the North York Moors village.

But they have fought back.

Tens of thousands of tons of water thundered down from the moors into the community when the River Rye burst its banks, taking with it historic bridges, stone walls and hedgerows which had stood the test of storms and high winds for generations. Cattle too were lost.

The couple's 250-year-old cottage home, shop and post office escaped severe flooding by a whisker, recalls Sonia.

"It was unbelievable. That day in June had been one of glorious sunshine – unbearably hot – but suddenly the weather turned dramatically as the sky became black and the rain poured down."

Darren's pride and joy car, a vintage Triumph Herald car which had recently been restored, was destroyed.

The flood was to prove to be just one of four devastating blows to their quaint little shop. For hot on the heels of the foot and mouth disease outbreak which decimated the tourist trade, came the news that they were to lose the post office which was a key part of their enterprise, thanks to a shake up by the Post Office nationally which resulted in dozens of Ryedale villages losing their sub post offices.

More recently, the Leemings have been further hit by the withdrawal of the Moorsbus service.

Today, their little shop is packed with groceries to serve the scattered community around Hawnby, and tourists, while an adjoining room is a tea shop, well used by cyclists and walkers visiting Bilsdale.

To help sustain the family business, Darren is a self-employed contractor, working on the nearby estate of the Earl of Mexborough.

"We had a tough time but so did others in Hawnby," said Darren, recalling how a kennels in the bottom of the valley nearby suffered terrible losses.

Only recently, he added, have the final repairs been carried out to the country lanes damaged by the floods and resultant debris.

With the prospect of a good summer, the couple and their two sons, Connor aged 18, and Fraser, 13, are hoping to welcome many visitors to the shop and tea rooms though Fraser is busy raising money to go with the local scout troop to Japan.

"People have been very supportive to our shop and tea rooms," said Darren. "We were fortunate that the flood damage wasn't any worse and there was no loss of life."

For most people in the remote moorland community, the shop is a lifeline, it being over six miles from the shops at Helmsley.

Hawnby itself has bounced back, with its village hall experiencing a new lease of life as locals – a number of them new residents – support social events, which now include domino drives and tai chi evenings.