Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

Rachel A. Nicholson (1934-). Rachel has been interested in wild flowers since her youth. She trained and worked inhorticulture for six years, including two years at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, where an interest in native plants wasencouraged by the Botany Club. She was introduced to Sussex in the mid 19505 when her parents moved from Cheshireto retire at Five Ashes, MayfieJd; on retirement in 1991 she settled in the same house. Now, after a break of thirty yearsaccompanying her husband and bringing up a family in Tanzania and Nigeria where she became involved with fungi and aquite different flora, she is getting back into British plants via the flora and as a member of the SBRS. Her maincontribution to the flora has been recording, enjoying being out on the wide open spaces in the Forest, quite a contrast tothe deep lanes and lovely ancient countryside of the Mayfield area. On field meetings she often disappears into thedeepest thickets, emerging with a few extra species not seen by the faint-hearted amongst us! She also abstracted PhyllisStockdale's herbarium in Bexhill Museum.Helen Proctor (1948-). Helen was born and brought up in Orpington, Kent, moved to Hailsham in 1976 and works for EastSussex County Council. She has had a lifelong interest in plants, ecology and wildlife gardening, and is a keen plantphotographer taking pictures to illustrate talks. She is a member of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and SBRS, and has helpedwith recording for the flora joining us on many meetings.Madeline E. Reader (1926-1. Madeline was brought up near Dorking, Surrey, and her parents' delight in the chalk floraencouraged an early interest in wild flowers. This was renewed on returning to Sussex in the 1950s, where she joined theSBRS. Whilst working as an assistant at the Ashdown Forest Visitor Centre, the need for detailed knowledge on everysubject under the sun was essential. In the early 1980s an attempt by local volunteers to record the plants of AshdownForest failed, so she was delighted to join in the new scheme. Her main contribution (with her husband Pete) has beenabstracting and compiling historical information from numerous floras, which gave her a fascinating insight into the plantsno longer on the Forest, and into the random recording done in the past. Her local knowledge of what has happenedthrough the years has also been invaluable, and any time Tim has a query, guess whose phone rings?Peter J. Reader (1924-). Pete has lived in the Forest area all his life, first at Upper Hartfield and now at Horney Common.He has been a voluntary Ashdown Forest ranger since 1980. An interest in bird watching became frustrated with bluntedhearing and sight, so he found static and silent plant life more rewarding. He has long been interested in photography andhas a collection of old pictures showing how much the Forest has changed. With Madeline, he has spent many hoursresearching the old floras.Elizabeth J. Rich (1936-). Elizabeth was born in Five Ashes and still lives there, her family having lived in Sussex since the17th century. She went to schools in Sussex and Northumberland, her mother's home with which she has maintainedstrong links, and has also lived in London. A country upbringing ensured that an interest in wild flowers was neverforgotten. She joined the Sussex Naturalist's Trust (now the Sussex Wildlife Trust) in 1966, and recorded for the SussexPlant Atlas. She served on the BSSI Meetings Committee for about 20 years, and was also Minuting Secretary to BSSICouncil from 1983-1992. Her hobbies include reading, painting and walking, and she has especially enjoyed recording theplants on Ashdown Forest as her contribution to this flora.Timothy C. G. Rich (1961-). Tim (no relation to ER!) was born and brought up at Stedham in West Sussex. He went toMidhurst Grammar School and became interested in plant taxonomy during the sixth form. He took a degree in Ecology atLancaster, and became a fanatical botanist especially interested in Crucifers. He was introduced to the SBRS by PatDonovan in 1981. After his Ph.D. at Leicester an phototropism, he ran the 8SBI Monitor'lng Scheme, and then brieflyreturned to Lancaster as the first Research Associate in the Unit of Vegetation Science. In 1992 he became self-employed,and moved to Forest Row in 1993. His contribution to the flora has been organising (bullying, the others call it), writingand recording, and he enjoys the latter more than anything. He is very interested in the problems of recording plants andinterpreting the data gathered.Phyllis H. White (1925-1 and Raymond G. M. White (1926-1989). Phyl was brought up in London, but two years in Devonas a wartime evacuee started her interest in the countryside. She became a keen rambler which brought her together withRay, who she married in 1951. Phyl was a quantity surveyor, and Ray sales director in a hospital equipment firm. Theymoved to Hertfordshire in 1955 and natural history became a family pursuit, particularly fungi. In 1967 they moved toKent and joined the recording for the Atlas of the Kent flora, by which time a few outings with John and Chris Dony hadthem hooked completely on plant recording. In 1987 they recorded TQ/4.3 for the BSBI Monitoring Scheme including partof Ashdown Forest. After Ray died Phyl moved to Warlingham, Surrey and joined the SBRS through Breda Burt. Havingalready taken a close 'Interest 'In Ashdown Forest and its plants, she was very happy to take part in another survey. Shehas also helped collate records.233