The villagers planting thousands of trees to try to save their homes from flooding

In June 2012, a month's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours over parts of mid Wales.

The deluge turned roads into lakes.

In the small village of Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, 27 homes were flooded as the rivers Leri and Ceulan burst their banks.

After that devastating day, a group of villagers came together with an idea - they would plant trees, thousands of them, to try to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.

Trees and woods play a "vital" role in reducing flooding by slowing down the flow of rainwater, absorbing rainwater and reducing erosion, according to the Woodland Trust.

"We started off with the aim to plant 2,000 trees in the first winter," said Linda Denton, who coordinates the group of volunteers who call themselves the Tal-y-bont Treeplanters.

"And we actually managed about eight [thousand]. We've gradually increased it from there. So we've now done five winters and 50,000 trees."

On the dry day in March that I met the volunteers, they were planting holly, hazel and rowan saplings in the hills above Tal-y-Bont.

They meet every week, in all weathers, planting on land 1,000ft above sea level.

"We've literally been out here in the snow," said Linda. "We cancel if it's high wind, rain and cold. But we don't often cancel."

The Woodland Trust provides the native trees for planting with funding from the People's Post Code Lottery, and also funds Linda's coordinator role.

"There are children… who have no memory of the flood. But for many people in the village, it's a clear memory," said Linda.

It will take years for the saplings to become mature trees, but Llinos Humphreys from the Woodland Trust said young trees could make a difference.

"Planting new trees is going to add to the natural-based solutions for slowing the flow of water," she said.

"The roots infiltrate that water and absorb as much of that into the soil as it can, to slow that flow."

The volunteers are planting on land owned by farmer Rhodri Lloyd-Williams, who had been planting trees for years before the volunteers joined him.

"It's amazing the difference a lot of hands makes," said Rhodri, who estimates that more than 100,000 trees have been planted on his farm since the year 2000.

"It's all done - from my point of view - as a farming decision. This is to create shelter for my stock, to allow me to rotate the animals, look after the grass and try and be a more productive farm.

"[But] it's multifaceted [and includes] the benefits of carbon sequestration and flood mitigation."

Statistics show that Wales – like much of the UK – is experiencing higher than average levels of rainfall.

Last year, Wales experienced its 10th wettest autumn since 1836.

In 2016, a study for the Environment Agency from the universities of Birmingham and Southampton found that planting trees around rivers could reduce the height of flooding in towns by up to 20%.

But the study warned that natural flood prevention methods do not always work.

The Tal-y-bont volunteers have also built a number of "leaky dams" across streams which flow into the River Leri, made of two parallel lines of living willow stakes with brash placed between them.

Linda said this was an ongoing experiment.

"These leaky dams are quite a new innovation. But willow is well known for how it takes up water."

The volunteers built the first dam in early 2025.

"We can't say it's making a difference to the actual river level - we would need lots of them to make a real difference," said Linda.

But she said it was "holding back some water".

Llinos from the Woodland Trust said the impact of the dams was being monitored.

"There is evidence out there building, there's science behind it. For that we are working with various universities, both at a Wales level and a UK level," she said.

Ceredigion council is also working with the community to develop a flood protection scheme.

The council said it "recognises and welcomes the significant efforts made by the Tal-y-bont community in relation to natural flood management, including property level flood protection, tree planting and local flood planning".

The council has secured funding from the Welsh government to prepare a business case and detailed design for a flood defence scheme in the area.

Keith Ivens, Operations Manager in Flood and Water Management for Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said flood protection in places like Tal-y-bont was challenging due to the steep rivers that flow very quickly in the area.

"Flooding cannot be stopped," said Mr Ivens.

"But nature-based solutions such as those carried out by the voluntary group aim to reduce the severity of a flood meaning that combining this with great property resilience measures, communities can recover more quickly."

The current tree planting season runs until the end of March, but Linda said the volunteers would plant again at the end of the year.

"The first couple of years, we were advertising the group as something people could do practically about flooding. But it's taken on a life of its own," she said.

"It's become a lovely, vibrant group who meet to do something practical and feel that they are working against climate change and helping the village."