ALLAN BURBERRY

 Readers of the blog will be interested to hear that one of the founders of Filnore Woods, Allan Burberry, who died earlier this year, is now commemorated by a bench seat installed in a sloping field overlooking Thornbury and the surrounding countryside, which he loved and did so much to maintain for wildlife.

A plaque attached to the seat draws attention to his contribution.

The seat was funded by contributions from several people who knew him, from his family and from the town council, who undertook the installation of the seat and the re-instatement of soil eroded by human and bovine feet over many years.

Unfortunately the cattle have been visiting the place again so the soil which was so carefully graded by Paul, the Town Council's chief groundsperson, has been a bit churned up.  Hopefully it will settle and be colonised by meadow plants so that in summer, covid permitting, we shall be able to hold a dedication and celebration in honour of Allan.

The location of the seat is beside the Jubilee Way footpath, on a slope, two fields away behind the Mundy Playing Field.

As well as an excellent naturalist, Allan was a leading expert in the world of radio antennas and his book 'VHF and UHF Antennas' is still a sought after work.  As a lasting gift to Filnore Woods, Allan's family are donating the royalties from sales of the book to the Friends of Filnore Woods.  Just as we owe Allan for all he did in his lifetime, we are now very grateful that he will continue to support us in the work that he started.