In Memory of Nature

Ketford Banks by Peter WakleyNatural England

Over the past weeks I have found myself celebrating the achievements of four people who, in different ways, have made an impact on nature conservation. Each of them has left a different legacy that will benefit us all in subtle ways.

The most public ceremony was the memorial service for Lady Scott held at Berkeley Church. A congregation of conservation figures and modest volunteers remembered Phillipa’s enormous contributions to the Wildlfowl and Wetlands Trust and many other bodies. Lady Scott was a warm, vibrant and engaging ambassador for the natural world. Her late husband, Sir Peter Scott could not have had a better soul mate to continue his pioneering work. Phillipa was the Patron of Gloucestershire WIldife Trust and will be missed.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s latest nature reserve became a place of commemoration for two ardent naturalists, Sonia Holland and John Hughes. Sonia had purchased the Ketford daffodil bank to safeguard its future. John Hughes was the first Farming with Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) advisor and he used to visit sites with Sonia. They both loved Ketford and it was doubly fitting that FWAG had passed the site to the Trust for its future safekeeping. Both Sonia and John were ardent members of the Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society. All three organisations were present at the official opening. Ketford will act as a public reminded that people like John and Sonia have made a lasting impression on the farmed landscape of Glocuestershire.

Margaret and I travelled straight from Ketford to the beautiful village of Duntisbourne Abbots to attend a ceremony celebrating the life of Bill Darling. Bill was a modest man who had also dedicated his life to promoting wildlife and farming. He had won the top FWAG award for his farm in Hertfordshire before retiring. In Gloucestershire, Bill was Secretary and Treasurer of the local Royal Forestry Society branch and a dedicated Friend of Westonbirt. Bill was also Chairman of Gloucesterhire Wildlife Trust’s Daneway Banks Nature Reserve Management Committee.

These four people, whom I had the pleasure to know, work with and learn from, represent the essence of wildlife conservation. Each person was pragmatic, knowledgeable, hugely enthusiastic and very modest. Their legacy has been a nature that is richer and more enjoyable as a result of their dedication.

The natural world is all around us, and we can all make a lasting impact in our own way. Legacies for nature are long lasting and give value beyond any financial figure that could be placed on them.