Skegness conservationist receives prestigious wildlife award

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is proud to announce that volunteer and former member of staff, Barrie Wilkinson, has been awarded The Christopher Cadbury Medal from The Wildlife Trusts in recognition of his lifelong commitment and contribution to nature conservation.

The Christopher Cadbury Medal is an annual award given to a member of a Wildlife Trust who has shown dedication to the advancement of nature conservation within the British Islands. The presentation was made by Liz Bonnin, President of The Wildlife Trusts, at a virtual ceremony on Thursday 25 November 2021.

Portrait of Barrie Wilkinson — Barrie Wilkinson (David Curtis)

Barrie has served as both a volunteer and member of staff of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. He started volunteering as a young naturalist, aged 15, in 1952 and in the 1960s he undertook a pioneering study into public access and management of the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve – a model for many other nature reserves around the country.

From the late 1960’s until his retirement in 2002 Barrie worked in various roles including Field Officer giving management and conservation advice to private landowners and carrying out wildlife surveys; progressing to Reserves Manager for some 90 nature reserves.

Still active and youthful in his 80’s, he remains busy as a Voluntary Reserve Manager for three nature reserves, actively involved in recording and management. Always to be seen with camera in hand he has carried out annual fixed-point photography on many Trust reserves for over forty years.

Barrie continues to be a quiet yet vocal champion for nature conservation and has been at the vanguard of many approaches we take for granted today.

The late Ted Smith CBE, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust founder and Cadbury Medal recipient, wrote of Barrie: “A lifetime of dedicated service in the cause of nature conservation undertaken with characteristic modesty and selfless devotion.”

On receiving the award Barrie Wilkinson said: “I’m delighted to receive this medal and to be following in the footsteps of Ted Smith who encouraged me from such a young age and became my friend and advisor for nearly 50 years.”