Mack’s Sofa

One of the iconic images of the Appleby Floods, and one which seen on world-wide media, was the picture I have put in extras – a sofa floating down the street. The sofa belonged to Roy Ashley’s Garage and was Mack Ashley’s favourite (Mack was a much loved chocolate Labrador, who has sadly since died).

This model of it was felted by local residents of all ages, who were affected by the floods. They worked in drop-in workshops in Appleby. It is now part of the River Art Trail and can be found in the garage.
 
This morning I was at the Optician opposite the garage and so afterwards I popped in and asked whether I could photograph the sofa. I was then told the whole story of how the garage was flooded and how they lost everything, as it was so unexpected. They tried to save things, but in the end the firemen told them to get out, as the water levels were getting higher every second.
 
The word silence comes from a quote from one of the Appleby residents:
 
The most weird moment during the height of the floods was in the middle of the night, no lights, no people, no cars. It was the silence which was the most unsettling.