A LEADING Worcestershire conservationist who spearheaded the purchase of one of the county’s most treasured woodlands has died.
George Henry Green, known to friends and colleagues as Harry, had dedicated nearly 60 years to saving wildlife in Worcestershire before his death on July 23.
The 92 year old was responsible for spearheading the purchase of Tiddesley Wood in Pershore and has notably had the now nature reserve named after him.
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Mr Green had spent 56 years at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust (WWT) holding roles including chair, vice-president, and president.
Brett Westwood, who worked alongside Mr Green, described him as a man with a “deep knowledge, a twinkling eye, and genuine affection.”
MISSED: Harry Green had dedicated nearly 60 years to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. (Image: Eli Rees King Photography)
He said: “Worcestershire’s wildlife has lost one of its most passionate and committed advocates, and we have lost one of our dearest friends.
“To many of us, Harry simply was Worcestershire.
“He was a supreme inspirer of others.
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“That’s why so many of us, when we spot the first bee-fly of spring or sit in the shade of a towering lime tree, will always remember Harry Green.”
Born in Oxfordshire in 1934, Harry moved to Worcestershire in 1950 and developed a lifelong fascination with the county’s birds, plants, and habitats.
His interests ranged from marsh warblers and ancient woodland lime trees to traditional orchards and rare insects.
Mr Green’s bird-ringing took him as far afield as Greenland in 1972 and 1974, and he soon joined the British Trust for Ornithology, becoming its chairman in 1988 to 1991.
He served as the local co-ordinator for BTO atlases of breeding and wintering birds, as well as for the Atlas of Birds of the West Midlands, published in 1973.
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In recognition of his remarkable dedication to Worcestershire’s nature, Mr Green had enjoyed seeing his friends at the trust plant 56 saplings next to Tiddesley Wood – the Harry Green Reserve.
One of those trees is now set to watch over his ashes into the next millennium.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said: “It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our president, Harry Green.
“Harry was an inspiration to us and to many of you, but it’s impossible to put into words just what he did for nature in Worcestershire.
“Harry was very special and is sorely missed.
“Our thoughts are with his family.”