As we continue preparing for the conference in May, Edenvale Young and the TUFLOW Team are delighted to announce that Mary Long-Dhonau OBE has confirmed that she will give the Second Keynote address at the UK/Europe 2025 User Conference. The programme is near completion and the Early Bird tickets are selling fast so don’t miss out.

With this year’s conference theme being The Human Element, it seems very fitting that Mary will be joining us. Her contribution will allow us to explore the lived experience of those most impacted by the effects of the flood events we are witnessing. It will allow us to walk that mile in another person’s shoes and better understand the importance of utilising the tools at our disposal to protect people, homes and businesses from harm.

Mary has received several accolades for her hard work, including the award of an OBE for Services to the Environment in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2009. She has supported victims of flooding for over 20 years, her journey starting when she became a victim of flooding herself; sadly, an event that was to be repeated. She runs her own consultancy Flood Mary specialising in PFR and is the author of an eBook ‘Property Flood Resilience (PFR)’. She has been described as a One woman army, speaking up for those who have been harmed by flooding and helping them to access support like the Flood Re government initiative that allows people to access affordable house insurance after the trauma of flooding. As we are already witnessing, Climate Change is impacting an ever greater number of communities, however, necessity is the mother of invention so Mary will also be sharing the practical solutions for future proofing their homes devised by other victims of the flooded community.

The importance of contributions from people like Mary, is that they are not just an intellectual endeavour, these are people who have walked that walk. In respect of improving communication and taking a holistic approach to the challenges ahead, their voices are invaluable.