With a lifelong interest in wildlife and conservation, Jim contributed greatly not only to the conservation of wildlife habitats in Dalgety Bay but also to the education of young and old alike.
Jim was active in the Scouting movement all of his life, both here in Dalgety Bay and in Blackburn, his home town. He was one of the founder members of Dalgety Bay Scout Group, where as well as being a Leader, he was always very active in the background, helping to organise the Scout Auctions, serving on the Committee and in particular he enjoyed helping to organise the Sports days and the Swimming Galas at HMS Caledonia. Jim was active in the Rosyth District Fellowship and attended many international gatherings and conferences. Many children have him to thank for their knowledge of nature and his beautiful carving of woodland leaves will be remembered by many, as will his beautifully drawn boards of the points of the compass and knots (all still in the Scout Hall see pictures attached) and his nest box building.
Jim was passionate about wildlife and its conservation. A member of Natural History Societies for almost all of his life, and with a great knowledge of our flora and fauna, he was a member of West Fife Conservation Volunteers, based at Lochore Meadows, for nearly 25 years. This involved a great deal of clearing of areas to encourage the growth of native plants, tree planting, hedge laying etc. and Jim carried out this hard physical work until late in life. In Dalgety Bay, in the late 1980s, Jim was a member of DIG (Dalgety Improvement Group). The group focussed first of all on Donibristle Wood which Jim surveyed and then produced a beautiful detailed map. This was the basis for conservation plans, involving the cutting back of undergrowth and the making and siting of bird and bat boxes.
Jim was a founder member of the Dalgety Woodland Liaison group, formed in 1997 to promote the conservation of the 16 woodlands of Dalgety Bay. A very active member, he worked hard with the group to create a Woodland Management plan. Jim founded the 'Adopt a Wood' scheme where individuals would adopt a wood and often after a group litter clearance would then keep an eye on the wood, attempting to keep it litter free. This was a very successful scheme and was recognised by Fife Council as a 'valuable service to the people of Dalgety Bay' with a Fife Council Environmental Award.
Jim's great conservation passion in Dalgety Bay was however Ross Plantation, a potentially wonderful wetland habitat which he wanted to be made available to local schools for environmental education. Working tirelessly over many years to restore and conserve the site, Jim did achieve the improvement in the quality of water entering the site by never giving up in his mission to get the water tested. It was eventually found that 17 houses above Ross Plantation had been connected to the drains rather than the sewers. This was eventually rectified. Well done Jim!
Jim planted many trees in his life and in 1990, in order to celebrate Dalgety Bay's 25th Anniversary, he, along with local Primary and Secondary schoolchildren, planted 100 trees south east of Ross Plantation. A lasting legacy to a great conservationist.