Your Legacies
Mrs Susan Collard
Mr and Mrs Collard
Susan Collard, who sadly passed away in late 2022, chose Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to be the beneficiary of the proceeds of the sale of her incredible collection of vintage and antique teddy bears.
Sue, with the support of her husband Les, started collecting in 1994 had been putting her collection together since 1994, buying at Christie's South Kensington in the 'good old days' of their bear auctions, and bought bears then from all over the country, mainly from local auctions and then from Special Auction Services. Les says that “every bear was special to Sue and most had their own names,” and he hopes each will find a loving new home.
Herefordshire Wildlife Trust are very grateful to Susan and Les for choosing the charity as the beneficiary of the sales. Susan was a long-standing member of the Trust and lover of wildlife. A keen gardener, her beautiful garden in Hereford was created as a haven for wildlife.
Joanna Dorothy Britten 1926-2021
Herefordshire Wildlife Trust member Joanna Britten kindly left to us in her Will as she believed that it was A gift to allow others to enjoy the region’s green spaces as she did.
Joanna’s cousin Dr Barbara Baird, writes:
“Joanna’s College was evacuated during the War to Derwent Hill near Keswick where she formed an enduring passion for the Lake District and the countryside. All her life she was happiest out of doors – hiking, cycling, camping, gardening. Towards the end of her life she still loved to picnic, or just to sit and admire the scenery. She became very knowledgeable about flowers, trees and birds. Joanna was always so enthusiastic – every trip was an adventure and an opportunity to share her knowledge.
“In the early 1960s she moved to Gloucestershire. Her brother lived in Longhope and her parents retired to the area in 1962.She had many happy memories of this area which included playing the organ in Churcham church, climbing May Hill, visiting local nature reserves and collecting plums and eggs from the local farm. With her second husband she lived in Surrey and became very fond of the North Downs, but in later years, once widowed, and with declining mobility, she wished to return to the beautiful countryside around the Wye Valley and to be near her brother.
“Joanna moved to Wallace Court in Ross-on-Wye in 2010. One of the first things she did was to join the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust. She always enjoyed the magazine! She was delighted to renew acquaintance with the many beauty spots such as The Hole-in-the-Wall, The Old Station at Tintern, Symonds Yat, and of course May Hill. She adored all the wild flowers to be found in the meadows and woods around and was very pleased to be able to support the work of the Trust.”
Mr Paul Russell
Mr Russell and his dog Moss
We were very sad to learn of the passing of Paul Russell in March, 2021 . Paul was a great supporter of our Marden branch and his love of wildlife will live on with a generous donation to our work at nearby Bodenham Lake where he loved to walk with his wife Val.
Paul’s gift will make a real difference to our work at Bodenham. We are planning a new hide and path to provide good views of the islands and planting more trees in the culinary orchard and this generous legacy will help us to make all this happen.
