We’re delighted to announce that the four ‘stop-motion’ animations produced last year in partnership with the Environment Agency and StudioDOK have won a Learning on Screen award.

Wild Ideas about Flooding were awarded first prize in the Educational Film category of the Learning on Screen Awards, at a glittering ceremony at the British Film Institute, London last week. The guest speaker was Robin Ince, Sony Award-winner for the BBC Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage (pictured above left) and the award was received by John Gorst, Catchment Partnership Officer for United Utilities (and voice of Pete the frog) and David Kennedy, Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience Senior Advisor, who wrote the films, and was the voice of Russell the sheep dog.

Speaking at the ceremony, the judges, who had a huge breadth of experience in film and animation, said that they’d voted unanimously for Wild Ideas about Flooding to win this category. They described the films as “a stunning animation with terrific use of animal narrators, and lovely ambient wildlife sounds which delivered clear and important information about flooding.”

David Kennedy, Cumbria’s Innovative Flood Resilience Senior Advisor, said: “To have won this award is stunning, I’m still in a bit of shock - the standard of the shortlisted films was amazing. These were films we made in lockdown, we even recorded the audio in my bedroom as no recording studios were open, the director was stuck in Nova Scotia battling snow storms and power cuts, so to have produced films this good is incredible.

“These brilliant films were created as part of the Environment Agency’s Cumbria Natural Flood Management (NFM) programme with our partners Cumbria Wildlife Trust. They explain what NFM is and how it can benefit farming, communities and the environment.  

“The videos are currently being used in schools and other public settings, such as local big screens in Cumbria, which is a real testimony to how versatile they are. They are a real tribute to the skill of the animators and the director who made them come to life in such an engaging way. 

“Whilst the films are set in Cumbria, it is important to remember that NFM interventions can be used in any part of the country, across a wide variety of landscapes.” 

David Harpley, Director of Nature Recovery at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “This is fantastic news! We’re absolutely delighted that these short films, which show how natural flood management can help protect our homes, businesses and farms, have been acclaimed with this award. Pete the Frog and all the other animated characters have really caught people's imaginations, and have proved to be a really effective way of getting across some important issues, in a fun but informative way.

"Huge congratulations to our partners at Environment Agency and StudioDOK for making the films – it wasn’t easy, as they were produced in the midst of lockdown and the creative team faced many challenges. But the end result is brilliant and a great boost for the work we and many others are doing in Cumbria, in harmony with nature, to help alleviate flood risks in the county."