Alan Outen

Alan Outen died on 25 September last year.  He was one of the best all-round naturalists I have ever met, renowned nationally as an expert on fungi, mosses and liverworts, but with a deep knowledge of most other wildlife too.  He had launched the Neglected insects in Bedfordshire, which held hugely informative conferences, and the very active Bedfordshire Invertebrates Group. He was a dedicated supporter of the Trust and a fervent advocate for Flitwick Moor especially.  Alan had decided, in his 20s, that he wanted to photograph 25,000 plant and animal species.  His son revealed at his funeral that, when Alan died, his catalogue had reached 24,600, and that, with the help of Alan’s friends, the family intended to complete the project. 

Written by Brian Eversham, CEO 

Dr Peter Friend

Dr Peter Friend, who died on October 2025 at the age of 91, was an outstanding geologist, specialising in sedimentary rocks,  and a popular university teacher with a passion for fieldwork. He was a senior lecturer in Cambridge, and a fellow of Darwin College.  Peter and his wife, Jenny, were regular Trust volunteers and attenders at events for many years, and his New Naturalist books on Southern England and Scotland are highly readable and beautifully illustrated accounts of the landscapes based on geology but showing the role of human activity too.  

Written by Brian Eversham, CEO

Brian Broughton 

Brian Broughton, who died in January 2026, was a long-serving volunteer for the Trust. Joining our Peterborough Team (of one person at the time) nearly 30 years ago, Brian came to us on his retirement from his role in the IT Team at what was then English Nature’s headquarters at Northminster House.  Brian supported the staff with the IT for the office and with admin before there was a full time IT staff member, and then went on to liaise with the IT support to solve all our computer needs.  In 2014, Brian was awarded the Richenda Huxley Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the work of the Trust.  Finally stepping back during Covid in 2020, Brian had become an invaluable part of the Peterborough office Team, always supporting us with technical problems.  He will be greatly missed.

Written by Rachel Price, Local Groups and Volunteer Support Manager