The Mary & Brian Chugg Conservation Award
The Mary & Brian Chugg Conservation Award, formerly the Samuel Foss Conservation Award, is presented to people who have contributed significantly to the conservation of Exmoor. If you would like to nominate someone who has made a conservation contribution in some way that had benefitted Exmoor, please contact us by 31 May.
2021
The Award was presented at the 2022 Annual General Meeting to John Richards for his work for nature conservation.
2020
The award was given to Linda Blanchard for her longstanding commitment to protecting and discovering the history of Exmoor, both ancient and modern. No presentation in person could be held due to COVID19.
2019
The Award was presented at the 2019 Annual General Meeting to Mr Adam Lockyear in recognition of his work for nature conservation over the years.
2018
The Award was presented at the 2018 Annual General Meeting to Robert Deane in recognition of the significant extra work and hours contributed, far in excess of those contracted, in order to produce superb quality evidential reports.
2017
The Award was presented at the 2017 Annual General Meeting to Dr Nigel Stone in recognition of his conservation work over and above the requirements of his professional position, and his deft management of difficult and controversial subjects such as the hunting debate, the Foot and Mouth crisis, etc.
2016
The Award was presented at the 2016 Annual General Meeting to Rob Wilson-North, Conservation Manager, Exmoor National Park Authority, for his dedicated work on the archaeology of Exmoor which is of importance both nationally and locally. His interpretation of the landscape has been a revelation, in particular that of John Knight’s designed landscape at Ashcombe, and the Simonsbath Project.
2015
The Award was presented at the 2015 Annual General Meeting to Christina Williams for her drive and determination in setting up a five-year project called ‘Grazing the Moor’ with the Molland Estate, the Heather Trust and other partners. The project monitors the impact of changes to the grazing regime, including the introduction of winter grazing by cattle on the moor. The hope is that, through the experiment, winter grazing will begin a long-awaited fight-back against the explosion of gorse, bracken and Molinia grass that is threatening the moor’s character.
A list of all recipients can be viewed below:
