One of the most generous legacies received by the Trust in 2005 was from long-standing member and Nature's Calendar recorder, Miss Dorothy Joan Fox, who died in 2004 aged 91.
We'd got to know Miss Fox over the years through her delightfully chatty letters, occasional phone calls, and, later, her pledge to remember the Trust in her will. She was determined to do all she could to help protect our woodland heritage, and told us how she fell in love with trees from an early age.
We learned that another of Joan's passions was music. She was a talented singer, pianist and music teacher. On her seventh birthday Joan was given a silver thimble by her piano teacher, Miss Beatrice Lillyman, which linked her back in time and tradition to Clare Wieck Shumann, wife of world-famous composer Robert Schumann! Mrs Schumann, who was an accomplished musician in her own right, had been given the thimble in 1826 on her seventh birthday in recognition of her musical skills, and she later presented it to Beatrice Lillyman when she was seven. Joan later had the satisfaction of keeping the tradition alive by presenting the thimble to her own protege, classical pianist Anthea Fry, on her seventh birthday.
Joan was also an enthusiastic and imaginative gardener, developing her woodland garden from scratch and going on to win a BBC competition for garden design. And it was from this garden that she recorded the first signs of spring for the Trust's Nature's Calendar. One of her letters describes how the wood pigeons used to call to her and her mother whilst they were weeding with what sounded very much like: 'You poor fools, you two, you poor fools, you two'. Another records a visit by a lone heron, with the accompanying comment: 'Neighbour has a carp pond!'
Joan's passion for trees was later reflected in her talent for painting - the picture below being just one example of the many woodland scenes she depicted. And if that wasn't enough, sport was something else she excelled at, particularly athletics and table tennis, the latter keeping her fit right into her late seventies.
None of these accomplishments come as a surprise to us. Everyone who leaves a legacy to the Woodland Trust has a passion for nature and wildlife and many, like Miss Fox, make the most of their talents and are especially committed to helping future generations. Miss Fox left the Trust an unrestricted legacy which will enable us to use the money where most urgently needed, without conditions. Legacies like these are of particular importance because they allow us to respond quickly to a threat to an area of woodland, or to an opportunity.
Miss Fox lives on in all the lives she touched with her music and in the achievements her legacy to the Woodland Trust will make possible. We are indebted to her, and all others like her, who remember the Woodland Trust in their will and help to keep our woodland alive.