Local businesses, celebrities, residents and landowners are joining forces to launch a new campaign to raise £10 million to strengthen the estuary defence walls of the Alde, Ore and Butley rivers in Suffolk in a pioneering partnership.
BBC Radio 4 Today Presenter and Orford resident Nick Robinson has made a short film to highlight what is at stake along the estuary, filming drone footage up the river’s path to capture the social, economic, cultural and natural life that the estuary defence walls protect. The film will be launched in Aldeburgh and Orford on Saturday 14th October 2017 and a short teaser film will be shown at the Suffolk Show at the stand of the Alde and Ore Estuary Trust.
The Trust’s Suffolk Show stand will share the story of our inherited responsibility to maintain the estuary defence walls, with details of identified flood cells that are considered more vulnerable to strong tidal surges and what needs to be done to protect the estuary landscape and its residents, businesses and agricultural activity. The £10 million public fundraising appeal will be formally launched this autumn, with local farmers and landowners already committing to a funding target of £5 million.
The Trust will be using the Suffolk Show as an opportunity to launch a calendar of fundraising events, including Suffolk’s biggest ever pub quiz on Thursday 23rd November (involving 14 pubs in the estuary area holding a simultaneous pub quiz hosted by local celebrity quiz masters) and a Four Ferries charity bike ride on Saturday 16th September challenging cyclists to cycle across the four foot ferries of Harwich, Bawdsey, Butley and Walberswick on one day.
Local landowner Sir Edward Greenwell is Chairman of the Alde and Ore Estuary Partnership and will be available for interview at the Suffolk Show Stand 465 in the red zone at 2.30pm on Wednesday 31st May.
All media enquiries to:
Mandy Bettinson amanda.bettinson@gmail.com 01394 450863 / 07972 754505
