A village fighting to protect its flood defences will tonight host a concert of songs telling the story of its river and changing landscape.The concert, called Singing the River, features a series of specially written songs about the River Blyth, which runs through Halesworth and Wenhaston to Blythburgh.

A village fighting to protect its flood defences will tonight host a concert of songs telling the story of its river and changing landscape.

The concert, called Singing the River, features a series of specially written songs about the River Blyth, which runs through Halesworth and Wenhaston to Blythburgh.

As well as being inspired by the river, proceeds from the concert will go to the Blyth Estuary Group - a fighting fund set up to challenge the Environment Agency's plans to abandon flood defences in the estuary. The group is also helping landowners to reinforce

the flood banks themselves.

The Halesworth Community Choir will sing the pieces written by local composer Bridget Cousins at the concert at Blythburgh Church at 7.30pm tonight.

Musical director Bridget Cousins said: “I wanted to write songs about this area, to be sung here by local people. The songs represent the river through different seasons and at different points in history. There is a song about the ferry at Walberswick, another about the Anglo Saxon King who is buried in Blythburgh and one about the old mill at Wenhaston.

“Shortly after I wrote the piece, we had terrible floods and I realised that the landscape is changing all the time. We made contact with the Blyth Estuary Group and decided that we will collect money for them at the concert.”