Many of our supporters find comfort in knowing that the work of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will be able to continue, and that wildlife will be looked after, even once they are gone.

This felt like the right thing to do for  Jane Fox, one of our supporters from Leeds who passed away earlier this year. In May we were notified that Jane had left a Gift in her Will to the Trust in recognition of her lifelong passion and commitment for the natural world.

Jane had a wide knowledge of natural history, particularly of the diversity of plants through botany and zoology, and her friends and family knew that the ‘Country Diary’ column in the Guardian newspaper was a source of pleasure and wonder.

Jane and her husband Jonathan had brought up their family first in Northumberland and then for many years in North East Lincolnshire, where they joined the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and toured the reserves along the Humber. They enjoyed visiting Spurn many times, taking friends and family to see its distinctive form and habitat. One particular visit was to see their daughter Alice’s exhibition in the old lighthouse when she held a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Artist-in-Residency for six months in 2012.

On holidays in North West Scotland, Alice was so taken by the otters that she decided to work in otter conservation, first in Worcestershire and then with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for a few years. When Jane and Jonathan moved to Yorkshire seven years ago, it was only natural for them to join Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Encouraged from an early age by her parents who were also keen naturalists, Jane was a passionate and enthusiastic gardener, following organic principles to help both plants and insects thrive side by side in recognition of their interdependance.

Jane had a good appreciation and understanding of the vital importance of maintaining and enhancing the natural environment in the face of the climate emergency, and the challenges facing her grandchildren and those of generations to come.

Jane’s precious gift to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust means we can  continue to protect the wildlife and wild places in Yorkshire that she loved so much.

Find out more about leaving a gift in your Will

For a confidential discussion about leaving a Gift in your Will to the Trust, please contact Grace at grace.harper@ywt.org.uk.