Very Sad News

It is with sadness to announce that former SBG Chair, Roy Marsh, passed away recently. He joined SBG Council in 2010 and was thrust into the vacant Chair post in 2011, which he held for four years before continuing on the committee as Vice-chair for a further four years. While in the role of Chair he drove the group forward, coming up with ideas to enhance dwindling funds with activities such as an autumnal sponsored birdwatch, promotional days at a local supermarket and guided event days at Chantry Park, Ipswich and Minsmere. The work Roy put in helped the group enormously, of which we reap the rewards of today with an ever increasing presence and continuing membership growth.

Roy is best known for setting up Suffolk Bird Information News Service (BINS) in 2006, along with Lee Woods. Birders of Suffolk, and beyond, are grateful that a county-wide network made the process of bird news disseminating to a wider audience much quicker than the old school network. In real time, via mobiles, and on the BINS website for all to see. Without doubt, this gave many birders the chance to catch up with rare birds and have more instant information of which it would have been more difficult without.

Roy Marsh on the left with Adam Gretton