Graham Leigh Browne at Misson Carr Nature Reserve opening presenting to Norman Lewis, the first member of staff at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Graham served as Chairman of the Trust from 1999-2004 and whilst any five- year period might be considered pivotal for a charity, and there is always overlap with work started by predecessors, Graham’s time at the helm was certainly productive and eventful. Highlights included the launch of our Wildlife Guardians corporate engagement and fundraising programme which was followed by the hugely successful Green Guardians Environmental Awards programme.
In terms of the Trust’s estate of nature reserves, we acquired the lease and officially opened Besthorpe Nature Reserve in the Trent Vale, purchased Misson Carr after a twenty- year effort and officially opened Beaconhilll Conservation Park in Newark. We also acquired our 1st herd of Hebridean sheep (and first Shepherd!) our ‘flying flock’ to begin our own conservation grazing programme to benefit a range of heathland sites in Sherwood Forest and wildlife meadows across the county.
His time as Chair also covered the complex and, at times difficult, negotiations that led to the development of the Attenborough Nature Centre – finally opened by Sir David Attenborough in 2005 after a new 20 year efforts from many – Graham included.
His tenure also included the launch of a very high profile anti-development campaign entitled ‘Don’t’ let them Concrete the Countryside’ – focussed on one of Graham’s heartfelt concerns – that housing pressures, based on miscalculations of actual needs would lead to the damage and destruction of cherished wildlife habitats – something that very much remains an issue to this day.
During his time as chair we also opened our first ever office in North Notts to underline the Trust’s commitment to activities across the north of the county.
His period as Chairman, whilst important, represents only a fragment of his contribution which included decades of service across a range of key committees – enabling the Trust to put his vast knowledge of policy, planning and land management to great effect. He was also a longstanding and valued member of the South Notts Local Group.
His knowledge of the inner workings of local government and his contacts enabled the Trust to garner influence at a time when, as former fellow Chairman Tom Huggon put it in a personal tribute “when we were still regarded by many as at least mad and probably dangerous.”
His official role as the Trust’s link with Nottinghamshire County Council for over twenty years is still reaping benefits today in terms of partnership projects such as the Miner2Major programme in Sherwood Forest – an area that Graham was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about. It was during his time as our official County Council rep in 1988 that both the Trust and the Council were involved in the commissioning of the ground breaking ‘Bringing Back the Sherwood Green’ report –which not only laid the groundwork for much of the conservation work being delivered by partners across the Forest today, but also helped lay vital foundations for the landscape-scale conservation approach to wildlife conservation in the UK – now considered integral and essential to securing nature’s recovery.
On a personal level I always found Graham to be warm and supportive and his personal qualities, including kindness and courage and love of a good party, are expanded upon wonderfully in two moving personal tributes by both Tom Huggon and our former Chief Exec Stephanie Hilborne - who went on to take up a similar role at The Wildlife Trusts – available below.
It is clear that Graham will be missed by the Trust and by the people that worked for and alongside him over many years and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust will be well represented at a formal tribute and celebration of his life on 31st July 2021.
Erin McDaid – Head of Communications & Marketing
A PERSONAL TRIBUTE by Tom Huggon
Graham`s contribution to our cause began in 1974.
At that time we were a small trust; a few hundred members; one part time member of staff; seven nature reserves. Our work was done by a few dedicated volunteers. The sophisticated set up we now have including representation on many and various formal and informal bodies by highly qualified folk did not exist. And so our governing Council was composed of elected members assisted by representatives of key local players of which the County Council was one.
Graham joined us as their representative and proved invaluable from then. His modest demeanour combined with skill and enthusiasm meant that he was both ambassador and champion in all those areas germain to our aims at the County Council and elsewhere. He also employed his wide range of contacts far and wide to further wildlife conservation and promotion with other key players. His knowledge of the inner workings of local government was also useful and efficacious. In the early days all this was pioneering ; when we were still regarded by many as at least mad and probably dangerous.
This formal role he held for 22 years during a time of expansion and change for us proving an invaluable adviser. When we reorganised our governance in 1996 abolishing the representative posts GLB was so central to our work that he was elected to Council and later elected Chairman 1998-2004 after which he continued on Council until becoming an Executive Vice-President in 2011.
His contribution at the centre was only part of it, he serving on various practical committees and groups and as an active member of his local South Notts Group. All this was recognised by his receipt of the Treswell Award in 2011.
His modest disposition at a formal level disguised to a great extent a broader personality much enjoyed by his wide and eclectic range of friends; his kindness; his wicked sense of humour; his zest for fun; his hospitality and love of a good party .He had a deep and affectionate knowledge of music particularly jazz ,regularly attending gigs until recently when there were none due to the present public health restrictions. By way of example see YouTube “Graham Leigh-Browne has fun at 80” being a short home film of his 80th birthday party in 2014 .
For all these reasons he will be missed by many.
Well done GLB
Tom Huggon
Stephanie Hilborne with James Mulloy and Graham Leigh Browne
A tribute to Graham Leigh Browne by Stephanie Hilborne
I first met Graham in 1998 at my first Conservation Committee meeting of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. I was newly appointed to lead the conservation and education work at the Trust and had been working with national charities previously. I knew very little about reality on the ground.
I asked if there was anywhere I shouldn’t sit in this small room in the very basic offices in the school on Sneinton Dale. Everyone said “no, no” then Graham and June Page (of the Trust’s Newark Local Group - RIP) walked in and said “you’re in our place”. So I moved. Graham was there and talked about how we needed to start by challenging the housing allocations. They were built on a false basis. How we needed to question those before going on to fight where they were built. So I asked him afterwards about his background. I heard about his time in London County Council giving classic planning permissions such as to Centre Point. And about his role at Nottinghamshire County Council.
He was the obvious successor to Tom Huggon as chair. A few years later the CEO job came up. I was keen to apply but there was no easy way in. He was very professional about the process and made sure the interviews happened when I was on holiday perhaps to test my commitment! I made it through and came into the role as CEO and Graham and I worked closely together for the subsequent four years before I moved on to the national role.
Looking back, one of things I so appreciated about Graham was his courage. There was no bowing to pressure or avoiding truths. If someone was being out of order he said so and if someone had the wrong attitude he acted on it. There are very few chairs of charities with the strength of character to do this but Graham did - after all he'd had senior roles in local authorities so he knew internal politics when he saw it. He was there to give back, he was not using his position as chair as a platform for his ego in any way which is so vital.
He could be quite a feminist and after I had with my second child he would demand creche facilities at conferences and give other people a hard time.
He also backed me and Julian Branscombe during some pretty brutal battles over the proposed landfill site at Bentinck Void. This was a brilliant wildlife site, a real haven for wildlife now recognised as being of national importance. The county ecologists were meant to have designated it as a Local Wildlife Site but they didn't believe there were palmate newts there. Julian was determined to find them and we found ourselves in some compromising and scary situations but Graham was always there for us.
Another memorable day was when we were gathering as the East Midlands Trust Chairs and CEOs. To save fuel we drove to J24 and were going to meet the Derbyshire WT crew in the carpark there for a lift down to Leicester. Graham and I were a few minutes early so we went in for a coffee in the hotel and got totally distracted by the coverage of the Queen Mother's funeral in the lobby - so it must have been 2002. We were sitting there happily watching and chatting and he was telling me about how he danced with the Queen Mother when he was president of the Student's Union. Obviously, we totally forgot we were meant to be meeting up with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and they had by then given up and started heading down the M1. We did track them down eventually but it all got a bit highly strung when they turned back for us, and I seem to remember that the chap who was chair there was not amused by us and drove at about 90mph. Graham and I felt like naughty school children. Very funny.
In fact we did quite a bit of driving together. Usually me driving a NWT pool car and Graham usually saying he knew where we were going as he was meant to know the county back to front. He certainly did know the history of almost every planning decision and every development we ever passed. But we still got lost very regularly and did more U-turns than I've ever down with anyone else. We regularly ended up navigating by the sun. I remember doing that in North Leicestershire too. The most dangerous moment was probably up at Rainworth Heath when they changed the road layout and I was driving happily on the wrong carriageway chatting away before Graham asked why I was doing that. But Graham was so lovely he would say I was a really good driver, then he'd pause and add "when I was concentrating" .
He always supported me and I never felt anything but valued by him. He was quite amused that in a moment of extreme organisation I produced a very detailed and precise brief for his last AGM including detailed instructions as to the inscription on his leaving present; which I then happily sent to him as well as everyone else. It was painful.
He was so brave about his injuries after his fall. I would find him sitting cheerfully the paper with his bad foot up and a flask of coffee to which he would be liberally adding morphine as the moment demanded.
I would also tease him relentlessly about his appalling handwriting. Intelligible scrawls made it quite exciting trying to translate it and it made me feel a sense of achievement...