Preparations are now in full swing for an annual maritime showcase.

The Woodbridge Regatta and Riverside Fair takes place on July 14.

Organisers are promising fun for all the family, with activities and games starting at noon.

Mayor Patti Mulcahy will officially open the event outside the Woodbridge Boatyard at 1.30pm, with proceedings coming to a close at 5.30pm following the popular Woodbridge & District Lions Club Duck Dive in the model yacht pond.

The River Deben will be a hive of activity throughout the day with yacht, dinghy, rowing, and tender racing as well as the hotly contested single oar sculling race in memory of Frank and Christine Knights.

The scout group will also be organising raft building and racing, while those who prefer a more genteel trip can take to the water courtesy of Woodbridge Boatyard in aid of the RNLI.

The bandstand will host a children’s activity centre, with visitors able to take part in various crafts and sign up for a crabbing competition. The nearby model yacht pond will also hold a model yacht regatta for those too young to venture out on the River Deben.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the Hasbeens Skiffle Group on the veranda of Woodbridge Cruising Club.

For anyone getting hungry and thirsty, all the usual riverside eateries will be open for business, the Deben Yacht Club will be providing teas, while there will be food and refreshment stalls on the field beside the model yacht pond as well as other locations along the river wall.

At 5.15pm Woodbridge Churches Together will be holding a Songs of Praise at the bandstand.

The regatta is free to attend but organisers will be holding a bucket collection for local youth group, Just 42.

There will also be free car parking available at Suffolk Coastal District Council’s offices on Melton Hill.

For more details visit www.woodbridgeregattaassoc.onesuffolk.net.