Friday 31 May 2013

Charles Gimingham - 90th Birthday

Professor Charles Gimingham & Malcolm Hay
Professor Charles Gimingham celebrated his 90th birthday at the end of April and I was delighted that the Heather Trust was able to mark this occasion with a small presentation to Charles made by our Chairman, Malcolm Hay.

Charles's 70th birthday, in 1993, was marked by the SNH publication 'Heaths & Moorland: Cultural Landscapes' which was the proceedings of a conference of the same name.  In the Foreword, Magnus Magnusson, then Chairman of SNH, stated that the book was 'dedicated to honouring the life's work of a living legend, Professor Charles Gimingham'.  As the founder of much of our knowledge of heathland ecology, and the man who inspired several generations of ecologists, I can think of no better description.

Charles's activities did not stop with his 70th birthday.  He has remained active and was the first President of the Trust for three years from 2004.  His support helped to raise our profile to new heights.