When Joe first visited Draycote Meadows and saw the green-winged orchids, he knew intrinsically there was “something about that worth having.” Which is why, when it came to writing his will, Joe decided to leave a gift to Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.
Joe’s love of nature is rooted in his childhood. Growing up in Belfast, Joe’s mother, who had been a Guide leader, taught him to identify wildflowers on their Sunday morning walks. In his teens, Joe went on his first serious walking holiday in the Lake District and fell in love with rambling. When he wasn’t lecturing English at the University of Central England, he could be found exploring the beautiful British countryside. He joined the Nuneaton Rambling Club in 1968, enjoying trips to explore different parts of the country.
Before walking the coast-to-coast route, Joe bought himself a book of flora to deepen his knowledge of wildflowers. Not long after, he started taking photographs of the flowers he saw. To this day, Joe is a keen wildflower photographer and enjoys nothing more than stumbling across some of his favourites, including yellow composite, trollius, spring squill, and herb Paris.
Joe watched as urbanisation, new roads, and buildings started to change the landscape of Warwickshire, and familiar wildlife sightings became increasingly rare. Gone were the flocks of lapwings and skylarks in the fields. The change has been incremental, but steady. Nowadays, Joe worries about the future—about the impact of HS2, water pollution from infrastructure, and a lack of planning regulations.
In 1979, Joe and his family decided to join what was then a fledgling local charity, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Their favourite reserves to visit were Ufton Fields, Taskers Meadow, and Stockton Cutting—not least to enjoy the twayblade and butterfly orchids. Joe later went above and beyond for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, sharing the undertaking of a huge archiving project of the Trust’s historical information.
Joe believes in “giving back to causes you have enjoyed and benefitted from.” Having been a member of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for over 45 years, he made the decision to remember the charity in his will. He wants to support a local cause and chose “an organisation with stability and longevity.”
Gifts in wills are vital to Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and help fund our work to make more space for nature, with more people on nature’s side. We are so grateful to the incredible individuals, like Joe, who choose to leave a lasting legacy for local wildlife.