Author Archives: Alan Comber

Damselflies: Dancing Ballerinas of the Riverbank

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By Sally Westwood

I observed a large damselfly in late July whilst walking alongside the slow flowing, fresh water stream that runs parallel to the Deben, near Wilford Bridge. Banded Demoiselles Calopteryx splendens are mostly seen during June and July on sunny afternoons, although you may see them in August and September. Male and female Banded Demoiselles have a striking pattern and colour. The female in the image below, has a metallic emerald thorax and abdomen, with a bronze red tip to the abdomen. The last three abdominal segments have a yellow line1. The males and females both have translucent light green wings. The females have a small white mark, or pterostigma at the wing tip, whereas the males have no pterostigma2. Both males and females are 48mm or 1.4 inches in length and their hindwing can be 36mm or 1.4 inches long. This species is present throughout Britain but not in the Scottish highlands. It is common in much of Central Europe including Germany, France, and Poland but absent from European countries that are cold, for example, Scandinavia and those countries that are dry, such as Spain. Their range extends into central and Western Asia. Habitat becomes problematic when flowing freshwater is scarce.

Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens

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Woodbridge Regatta – an intergenerational event

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Interview with Geoff Holdcroft, former chairman by Julia Jones

Geoff Holdcroft moved to Suffolk in 1985, working for BT. At first, he missed the hills of North Staffordshire where he had grown up but soon discovered the different beauty of the River Deben. He learned to sail on the BT boats at Waldringfield, then bought himself a Mirror dinghy – and after that, a Jaguar 22.

(courtesy Alan Comber)

Within ten years Geoff had joined the Deben Yacht Club in Woodbridge and was involved with people who were involved with the Woodbridge Regatta. His first job as a volunteer for the DYC, however, was to gain advertisements for the annual handbook. This put him in touch with many more interesting people running businesses around the town and surrounding area. Among them was Alan Readhead, a colleague at BT who introduced him to the Regatta committee   ‘We need someone to do the same for the Regatta programme,’ said Alan. The Regatta handbook then ran to eight pages so the revenue from advertisements also helped support the costs of the Regatta infrastructure – items such as the public address system and First Aid attendance. Geoff took on the job.

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Flood Defence of the Estuary.  Are we facing a catastrophe?

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By Robin Whittle

Several articles have been written in the Deben Magazine concerning the river wall defences1,2,3,4.  This article concentrates on the immediate need for action on the river wall of Flood Cell 1: Bawdsey to Ramsholt.

The clay river walls of the River Deben have provided landowners and the local community with grazing marsh and arable land for the past five hundred years.  During this time the walls have been raised by about 0.6m/century to compensate for sea level rise and clay wall settlement (see Figure 1).

Figure 1:  River wall at Ramsholt being enhanced in 2015

Where breaching occurs, the wall is either eroded down to saltmarsh level or, where there is no saltmarsh, down to the embanked fresh-water marsh level.  The latter is very difficult and extremely costly to repair, usually requiring the use of helicopters.  Overtopping is not necessarily damaging to a wall providing the wall is largely level and the overtopping is less than 200mm over a landward slope of not less than 1:2. (see Figure 2).

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Update on “Leisure on the Deben Estuary” Survey Results

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East Suffolk Council’s rejection of the commercial hire of personal watercraft on the Deben Estuary (a decision with NO effect on the private use of personal watercraft) brought into focus several issues regarding the use of the estuary.

A survey was constructed by the River Deben Association and Deben Estuary Partnership that concentrated on everyone’s use of the estuary and in particular how its leisure users and wildlife can best coexist.

The results are now in! (Detailed Survey)

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I just want to record my memories of this area

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A review of Shingle Beaches and Tidal Rivers: the River Stour to Southwold by Robert Simper

Published Creekside Publishing £16.50

By Julia Jones

This is Robert Simper’s farewell to the stretch of Suffolk coast that he has known and loved over more than 80 years. In its introduction he recalls his wartime childhood living at Bawdsey watching bombers coming and going and sometimes aerial dogfights between the RAF and attacking German planes. He was clearly an inquisitive child and one who was shaped by his East Coast environment. ‘The North Sea was in front of us. It looked a cold and unwelcoming place and as time when by I found out it was just that. However, I was fascinated by the rivers and places beside the sea and felt I had to explore them.’

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Leisure on the Deben Estuary Survey

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What’s your view on how the river can be best enjoyed by everyone? Please complete the Survey we have created and let us know 

Deadline 31st March 2025.

The recent rejection of the commercial hire of personal watercraft on the Deben Estuary (a decision that does not affect the private use of personal watercraft) has brought into focus several issues regarding the use of the estuary.

We have constructed a survey that concentrates on everyone’s use of the estuary and in particular how its leisure users and wildlife can best coexist.

Please take a few minutes to answer the questions in the survey at https://forms.gle/syjXdAfPABNzGVVW7. It has been distributed by the Deben Estuary Partnership to 40 organisations and individuals with connections to the estuary: please do send it on to anyone with a connection to the Deben so it circulates as widely as possible to interested parties.

We’ll use the findings to help steer our engagement with local councils and authorities.

The survey will close on 31st March, and we will aim to publish our results on the River Deben Association website around three 3 weeks from then.

Environmental Protections for the River Deben

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By Liz Hattan, RDA Vice Chair

We are so lucky to live near the River Deben – many of us enjoy sailing and kayaking on it, walking by it, or swimming in it. It’s also special for its wildlife and landscapes resulting in it being designated under international and domestic law to help conserve it.   

The Deben Estuary is designated under international law by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and under domestic law (England and Wales) as a Special Protection Area, as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and as part of the Suffolk and Essex Coasts and Heaths National Landscape (previously known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB).[1]  But why has the Estuary received such designations and why does it matter?  In summary, it is designated because of the Deben’s unique and invaluable biodiversity and special landscape features; by having such designations it makes it easier to protect and conserve the area, both legally and because it helps remind us all to take extra special care of it.[2]  

Curlew (courtesy Sally Westwood)

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Citizen Science – Fish Survey 2024

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Report from the Third Fish Survey conducted by the RDA and the Institute of Fisheries Management July 2024  by Steve Colcough

Introduction by Julia Jones

For the past three years, 2022, 2023 and 2024  the RDA has supported annual fish surveys in partnership with the Institute of Fisheries Management, represented by Steve Colclough. From the RDA side, enthusiasm and leadership come from Richard Verrill who initiated this project and has reported on it both here and in the Deben Magazine.

The 2024 survey also involved Suffolk Wildlife Trust as a new sampling site was located in the area of saltmarsh adjacent to Martlesham Wilds. Writing for the Deben Magazine Richard described the method of operating in this new site — setting a winged Fyke net across the creek at low tide, as well as using the seine netting techniques deployed at Bawdsey and elsewhere. 

Juvenile fish come in with the tide to feed on the saltmarshes and then are caught on their way out, counted and released back into the river. The quantities of fish caught at Martlesham in the 2024 survey were very impressive and a good indicator of the health of that area of the river — as well as a reminder of the importance of the Deben saltmarshes.  

Over the 2022, 2023 and 2024 numbers of juvenile fish have been good and the project is attracting interest from scientists in other areas. 

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Water Quality Update

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By Colin Nicholson

Swimmers enjoying the water at Waldringfield January 2025

There continues to be much local and national interest and activity about the water quality of the River Deben.  This interest has led to a huge increase in knowledge of what is going on where, but there remains much to learn.  Below is a personal perspective of where we are now and further activity.

Introduction  – “What is the Water Quality of The Deben?” and “Can I swim in the Deben?”

“What is the Water Quality of The Deben?” and “Can I swim in the Deben?” are questions that are often asked.

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