Harriett Baldwin said "I was contacted by Peter Webb, Chairman of the Upton-upon-Severn Tourism and Trade Association. I had heard that Advantage West Midlands had earmarked one million pounds to help businesses bounce back from the recent floods. I immediately contacted Sir Michael Spicer and Advantage West Midlands and we asked for a fast response because the water festival is less than two weeks away. The businesses that usually help to promote the event were in no position to do so, having been so badly affected by the floods."
Sir Michael Spicer MP added, "When the Environment Minister Hilary Benn MP accepted my invitation to see for himself the devastating effect of the flood on my constituency, one of the places I wanted to show him was Upton-upon-Severn. The town suffered particularly badly partly because the flood barriers got stuck on the motorway. It is a resilient place and is already planning two festivals this summer to recover. It just needs a helping hand and I am so pleased that Advantage West Midlands has seen the merit of the request and sent funds to help promote the festivals."