Aside from all the other contributions Peter made to Mere Sands Wood, he recorded birds, both woodland and wetland, there for years.

When he’d finished a survey, he’d park up the mobility scooter - a scooter he raised the funds ro buy - and head to the ramshackle kitchen. Once there, the routine was always the same. Brew up with a cappuccino sachet, grab a fistful if biscuits from the tin, set about the biscuits with gusto, then chat for half an hour. He frequently talked of his family. His daughters and their families obviously meant the world to him. If the chat went on for much longer, Peter would demand to know why we weren’t back at work, delivering all the things he’d done so much to fund, so he’d bring to anan end and send us in our way. 

It was during those chats that the Peter beyond the benefactor, birder, photographer and committee chairman revealed himself. He was funny - a lot - kind, empathetic, encouraging, driven, perceptive and loyal. Oh, and he had a finely tuned bullshiit detector! 

Shortly after I left Mere Sands Wood, Peter invited me round to his place for tea and biscuits. What else? It was a delightful couple of hours, just as it always was in the tumble down old kitchen. 

Time spent with Peter was never time wasted. He was a wonderful man and we thought the world of him. 

Ian Wright