The River Deben Association (RDA) is delighted to announce that Lord Deben will become its patron from October 2024, supporting the association in its efforts to understand and protect the River Deben and conserve it for all users.
The RDA invited Lord Deben to support the association as patron following a very successful talk last autumn titled ‘Net Zero – where are we now?’ on climate change and why it matters, and we are honoured that he has accepted the invitation. Many of our more than 900 members attended Lord Deben’s thought-provoking talk and for those who missed it a report is available on the RDA website.
Lord Deben is the perfect patron for the RDA. A Suffolk resident living within the River Deben catchment, John Selwyn Gummer took the title Lord Deben when he joined the House of Lords in 2010, he chaired the UK’s Independent Climate Change Committee between 2012-23, was Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal (formerly Eye) from 1979-2010 and held ministerial posts including Secretary of State for the Environment (1993-97) and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1989-93).
Throughout his political, business, and personal life Lord Deben has consistently championed an accord between sustainability and business sense, and shown his commitment to Suffolk and the River Deben.
“It is a pleasure to be asked to act as patron by the RDA and I look forward to this new role as the River Deben lies close to my heart,” Lord Deben said.
RDA Co-Chair Colin Nicholson said, “I am very much looking forward to collaborating with Lord Deben on all river-related matters. It is an honour for the RDA to have such a distinguished and knowledgeable person as patron, and I have absolutely no doubt that his wide-ranging expertise will be a great asset to the association as we work to conserve and celebrate the character, beauty and environment of the River Deben for the benefit of current and future generations.”
The RDA was formed in 1990 as a strong local interest group to represent all concerned with the future of the Deben Catchment. Recently, the association has pioneered local species surveys as indicators of river health.
Annual fish surveys since 2022 (in collaboration with Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and Suffolk Wildlife Trust) have shown good numbers of juvenile fish, an important indicator of the health of the Deben estuary’s extensive saltmarshes, and diverse range of species including sea bass, mullet, goby, sand eel, sand smelt, and occasional herring.
The RDA has been instrumental in establishing a volunteer otter spotting project on the river, in partnership with the Suffolk Otter Group and ecologist Penny Hemphill, and has coordinated riverfly monitoring with results reported to the Environment Agency.
The RDA also reviews planning applications to assess their impact on the catchment, and convenes the Deben Forum every two years at which estuarine issues are discussed and resolved by harbourmasters and riverside businesses.
For further information, and photo available, please contact:
Colin Nicholson, Co-Chair of the River Deben Association (RDA)
[email protected]
07714 226475
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