Wigan family rescued by boat in flood fear a repeat

Michael Abram, wife Stacy and their three children Jack, aged two, Jake, 10 and Bethany, 12, floated to safety in a fire service dinghy as water more than four feet deep inundated their terraced home on Templeton Road in Platt Bridge early on January 1.

The children’s Christmas presents were ruined in the flood and firefighters were able to save the ashes of both Michael’s parents who passed away within a few weeks of each other in 2024.

After being ferried to safety in a nearby McDonald’s, they were later put up in hotel accommodation but are now staying in a temporary home in Ince as they figure out how they are going to rebuild a home.

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HGV drive Michael, 46, said: “We’re not going back to Templeton Road. “The road was flooded 10 years ago – before we lived there – and it nearly happened three years ago.

“We’re not going to take the chance that this could happen again.”

He said the family had settled into the temporary accommodation well, including Jake who has autism and attends a special school in Atherton.

Michael added: “He’s back at school now as are the other children and we’re doing fine.

“I was brought up in Platt Bridge and have lived there all my life. It’s a close community and we got on really well with our neighbours.

“We all got on well and we all look after each other.”

“But our house is rented, so we will not be moving back. We are looking for somewhere else to live.”

The houses in Templeton Road are still in darkness with the families moved out into temporary accommodation as the drying process is ongoing.

Makerfield MP Josh Simons has launched a JustGiving page to raise cash for the families of the 20 houses that we affected by the floods. So far it is reached nearly £3,000.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We set an initial target of £1,000, but got there in four hours.

"So we raised it to £1.5K and it has kept going up.”

He posted: “It’s been a long few days for everyone locally – not the start to the year we’d hoped for, but one we’ll never forget. We’ve all seen the strength of our community, and I want to thank the emergency services, council teams, and local residents, who have been fantastic.

“My thoughts are with those going to sleep in temporary accommodation or struggling in cold, damp homes. This fundraiser is one way we can stand together shoulder to shoulder, as a community.”

And community champion Alison Prescott has raised £540 on the gofundme site for the Abram family.

She said: “This family has lost more than this in the past year, including people who are very dear to them, so please help by donating as their children, one with additional needs and a two-year-old have lost all their Christmas presents. Even thou possessions can be replaced, a little bit of something can help make their life a little better.”