Despite the floods, our show must go on

A man checks on his neighbours in Upton-upon-Severn after the floods. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty

Last Friday morning there was a special report on the BBC about the flooding along the River Severn and the Thames. As people baled water out of their homes and businesses, reporters talked to them about how they have been affected and where to go from here. Those counting the cost in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Shropshire must surely have been thinking worriedly of the people of Hull, hit by the June floods, who are still out of their homes and waiting for much needed help to rebuild their lives.

This was followed with a feature on community spirit. Despite the weather, people in Upton-upon-Severn, a small town in Worcestershire somewhat used to the destructive nature of the River Severn, are hanging out flags and their annual blues festival has gone ahead. People are smiling, playing music, congregating in the streets and wearing waders in the pubs.

How is it that, in the midst of this disaster, with the spectre of homelessness and incalculable financial loss looming, people are looking for entertainment and celebration?

It is a pressing question for those of us behind the Severn Project, which gets under way later this week. 18 months ago, project organisers Shropshire county council and Desperate Men set out to create an ambitious series of street arts events running the length of the River Severn. The list of places to be involved seems eerie now: Gloucester, Upton-upon-Severn, Bewdley, Worcester, Bridgnorth and Ironbridge. The project looks in danger of being eclipsed by the power of the river.

How do we respond? It is has always been the aim of the Severn Project to reflect the culture and environment of people living on the River Severn, and never more has it seemed so appropriate to do so.

So we're still bringing a giant sturgeon up the river with Captain Webb, the Shropshire doctor who became the first person to swim the English channel, and Alexander "Diver" Lambert, who saved the construction of the Severn Valley Railway from flooding, along with a watery music machine, pa-Boom's exquisite fire theatre, Avanti Display's spurting waterworks and a Sturgeon hunter in a karaoke taxi. These historic characters will enable us to tell the stories of the river, while also encouraging people to respond with their own memories and experiences within the framework of the journey of the legendary Atlantic sturgeon who are fabled to live in the river. The events culminate at Brignorth from August 23-25 with a spectacular outdoor battle of fire and water on the Saturday evening.

We hope that we are bringing with us a way for these communities to join together and celebrate on the streets along the Severn. We'd also like to encourage others to visit these towns and villages, not to gawk at people's misery but to experience free theatre created especially for Severn.

Along the way, these visitors may wish to dip their hands in their pockets and support the Red Cross's flooding disaster fund to help the Severn communities to rebuild their lives.