In the early hours of New Year’s Day in 2025, the River Mersey burst its banks and
flooded more than 200 homes. One of the points where the levee failed was directly
behind the Didsbury Toc H clubhouse. As a result, the entire site was submerged,
causing extensive damage.

As it continues to rebuild and restore, the club has received the contribution from
Didsbury-based Barratt Homes Manchester to support its ongoing efforts.
Chris Reeves, President of Didsbury Toc H RFC, said: “As part of the ongoing
recovery programme, we are continuing work on the pitches, replacing trees lost
during the flooding and the subsequent levee repair works. This investment is
essential to ensure the pitches remain safe, playable and usable throughout the
winter months.

“The generous donation of £2,500 from Barratt Homes, which was then matched
through the ‘Save Our Grassroots’ initiative, took us beyond 50% of our fundraising
target for this project. This support made a huge difference, providing a major boost
to the campaign at a crucial stage and helping to turn the project into a reality.
“We are incredibly grateful for their backing and the confidence they have shown in
the club and our recovery efforts.”

Over the past 18 months, the club has invested nearly £200,000 in repairs and
improvements across the site. Throughout that period, it has called in every favour
possible and approached countless local businesses for support in rebuilding the
facility to be stronger and more flood-resilient than before.

Chris continued: “Now that we have reached our target, we are working with the
Wildlife Trust to deliver a range of environmental improvements across the site. This
will include planting native trees and plants to enhance drainage, strengthen natural
boundaries and improve biodiversity. We will also be installing bird and bat boxes to
support local wildlife and help create a thriving ecosystem for years to come.
“We have already scheduled the pitch maintenance work to begin in the next couple
of weeks. This will include verti-draining, sand dressing and reseeding both pitches
to improve their condition and resilience ahead of the winter season.
“Some of the replacement trees are still young saplings, so planting will need to be
phased to ensure they have matured sufficiently and have the best chance of
establishing successfully.”

Didsbury Toc H celebrated its centenary two years ago in 2024. During the First
World War, a soldier's club was established by the Reverend Tubby Clayton at
Poperinghe in Flanders, a place where troops of all ranks could go for a brief respite
from the battlefields.

It was named Talbot House as a memorial to a young lieutenant killed in action in
one of the many conflicts in the previous year. TOC H was the way the signallers
pronounced the letters T H, the initials for Talbot House.

After the war, the organisation continued using the name Toc H, setting up several
similar houses - called marks - throughout the country. In 1924, members of the
Manchester mark of Toc H formed a rugby club, calling it Toc H Manchester and
eventually Didsbury Toc H RFC when the club moved to the area.

Alan Watt, Sales Director at Barratt Homes , said: “We are very
proud to work with Didsbury Toc H on this restoration project. It has a long history in
the area and is a major hub for community activity and we are eager to make sure
we are doing our part to make sure that it can continue to be so.

“We are excited to see the project develop and to see not just how the grounds can
be restored, but also how they can be improved for the benefit of the future of the
club and the community around it.”

For more information about the club, visit the website at Didsbury Toc H RFC.
For information about the housebuilder and any nearby developments, visit the
website at Barratt Homes in Greater Manchester.