Thanks to Malcolm and Julie Watson, early-career naturalists will gain the field skills and confidence so important for building a career in nature
Julie (1930-2012) and Malcolm (1932-2024) Watson were both lifelong lovers of nature. They each grew up in what was then a County Durham village and from an early age had a strong interest in the natural world around them. They both trained as librarians and met when working at Newcastle Central Library. Malcolm was a reference librarian while Julie headed up the cataloguing department. They were long-term members of the Natural History Society of Northumbria, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the National Trust for Scotland.
Julie was a good amateur botanist who always knew the names of the plants which Malcolm could never remember! Malcolm’s particular interest was horticulture; on retirement, he took the Royal Horticultural Society exams at Kirkley Hall and, for many years, the two of them ran the Friends of Kirkley Hall – Malcolm as Chair and Julie as Secretary. In later years, Malcolm was a regular attendee at NHSN’s natural history talks, continuing to attend into his early 90s.
Over many years, they both enjoyed walks and field excursions in Northumberland with many local natural history groups, enjoying learning from others as well as sharing their own knowledge. Malcolm’s rucksack always contained binoculars and a camera for him and a hand lens and a flora for Juli,e alongside cake and a thermos of tea to keep them going. They were both also very committed to education and would have been delighted that their legacy is supporting field skills learning for young people in Northumbria.
Nurturing Young Talent
This year, thanks to a generous donation made in memory of Malcolm and Julie, everyone who applies to NHSN’s Field Skills Programme for early-career naturalists will have the opportunity to attend a special series of online field skills sessions. Designed to bring high-quality field skills tuition to the North East, the sessions will cover topics such as botany, bees, and bryophytes, as well as the identification of butterflies and mammals, and even skill-based sessions focused on the use of camera traps. Attendees will be able to explore a wide range of natural history subjects, broaden their knowledge, and connect with friendly and knowledgeable natural history experts.
NHSN and the early-career naturalists it supports are deeply grateful for this generous donation, which reflects Malcolm and Julie Watson’s own lifelong love of the natural world and commitment to sharing it with others.
Would you like to help inspire the next generation of North East naturalists? Visit our donor page to find out how you can support their journey.