Life member Alan Fordham’s first encounter with the Field Studies Council was in the 1970s, when he was managing a fenland nature reserve in Suffolk.
Wanting to learn more about the fauna and flora of the fenlands he enrolled on a week’s course at Malham on fens and bogs. Other courses followed, including one on lichens at Slapton Ley. Thus started a long association with the charity and today Alan is a tour guide at Bushy Park, as well as giving nature tours at Kew Gardens.
“My involvement with the Field Studies Council has really enriched my life”
He says. “I am a keen walker and what I have learned there enables me to understand in more detail what I see in the countryside. The courses I attended have also greatly improved my understanding of the natural world and hence my quality of life. I have been able to put much of it into practice too when volunteering on conservation projects at local nature reserves.
“For me the Field Studies Council is the leading organisation for providing environmental and natural history education for children and young adults, with experts tutors in many fields.
“Today, there are not sufficient numbers of young people who really understand the natural world. But this is where the Field Studies Council can make such a difference, especially helping disadvantaged young people to gain insights into the environment.
“That’s why I have included a gift in my will to the Field Studies Council, so that my legacy will equip future generations to learn about the natural world and to protect it.
I hope other people will want to join me in this. Then together we can pass on our love for nature to future generations.”
For those interested in joining Alan by leaving a legacy, we have created some useful online resources, which can be found on our legacy pages.