How a seaside cafe in Stonehaven is coping with frequent floods from intense storms
Janice Langdon tells us how the storms impact impact her business and her mental health. She fears for the future of Molly's Cafe Bar and the town she grew up in.
Listen to Janice’s Story:
This is the last of three episodes featuring stories from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. For this one, we spoke with Janice Langdon, who’s lived in Stonehaven her whole life. She’s the owner of Molly’s Cafe Bar, which sits on the promenade at the seafront of the town. Molly’s serves cullen skink, fish and chips, open sandwiches, seafood platters. It was flooded this year, multiple times, due to the major storms. They’ve managed to keep going, for now, but it’s taking a toll on the business, and on Janice’s mental health.
Listen on your device:
Apple Podcasts
Soundcloud
Spotify
Subscribe to automatically download new episodes!
"It’s terrible to go home at night when you know ... you are going to go back down to a flooded business ... we can’t carry on for much longer like that."
“The bollards came crashing into Molly’s frontage. All the benches came crashing into us. All the bins knocked down our fence at the back of Molly’s … there was a beach in front of Molly’s. It was feet deep with shingle. It’s really scary to watch what it can do.”
“At one point it all happened so quickly that we were trapped inside with about 20 customers who could not get out, it was totally unsafe to get out. We had the sandbags out and the floodgates on but it still came in and it was too deep for people to get to their cars which were also flooded.”
“I’m very apprehensive about this next winter. We tend to forget what the sea can do, but I am extremely nervous about hitting October. I just don’t know how many more years we can do this. It’s just so dangerous and so scary … it is getting worse each year … if there is no sea defence or nothing to help us, I don’t see how we will all be in business.”
Keep posted. We’ll email you when new episodes arrive:
Hear the Show!
Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to download the show to your device:
Apple Podcasts
Soundcloud
Spotify
Follow us
Show updates, additional content, and other insights:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Bluesky
TikTok
Stories From Round Our Way. Everyday conversations with people impacted by climate change.