We have some sad news to impart to you this week. Norman Lewis MBE sadly passed away following a short illness this week on Thursday evening aged 95. Norman was a founding member of the Forum and ever-present member of the Steering Group from 2016 up until the end.
Norman lived in Toton for over 60 years and worked locally for half his working life in commercial horticulture. In the 1950s, he was involved in the Derbyshire Youth Service and in organising Further Education classes in Long Eaton, having grown up there. In around 1949 he started his involvement with the Attenborough gravel pits to pursue his interest in birds. This then led to persuading the gravel company to agree to the formation of a nature reserve on their site. Attenborough Nature Reserve was opened in 1966, and has since become a SSSI. For the last twenty years of his working life, he was Principal Conservation Officer at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, having responsibility for the nature reserve for over forty years. During this time, he was also a governor and member of the committee at Brackenhurst Agricultural College for over ten years. Since his retirement in 1995 he continued to pursue his interests in a voluntary capacity, and during this time he felt very honoured to be awarded an MBE for his work in conservation in the county. His interests included: local history, natural history, ecology, and he had a detailed knowledge of both Toton and Nottinghamshire.
This knowledge and experience, as well as his great wisdom, were of vital importance to the Forum and he very much guided the Environmental Policies in the Neighbourhood Plan, and also informed our knowledge of the heritage assets within Toton in particular, as well as other policies and sections of the Plan.
Members of the Steering Group (past and present) have paid the following tributes to Norman:-
“Sad news about the loss of a fine gentleman with a passion for the natural world. He leaves a great legacy from his work.” (Ian)
“Very sad to hear about Norman, I didn’t know him very well but could tell he was a lovely man. Condolences to his friends and family.” (Michelle)
“RIP, a lovely and wise gentleman.” (Jo)
“Sad news but he lived a full life.” (Mark)
“Very sad. Norman was a great ecologist – a complete one-off. He will be sadly missed by a lot of people in Toton and beyond.” (Graham)
“Very sad news but we should celebrate his life and achievements and the huge impact he had on our community even though the majority of people never knew. He was a true powerhouse of knowledge which spanned so many years. A man that will be missed by many and I certainly feel honoured to have been able to work with him on the Neighbourhood Forum project over many years.” (Richard)
Richard has summed up very well his contribution to the Forum, elsewhere locally and further afield. He will indeed be very much missed by all those who knew or met him, and we should remember and celebrate his life and work. Our thoughts are with his two sons Martin and Jonathan and their families. Norman was a very proud father, grandfather and great grandfather. May he rest in peace.
If you would like to send a message of condolence to the family, then you can do so via the Contact Us page or by email to assist.cttcnf@gmail.com, and we’ll pass them on for you.