Owls and animal carvings
Owls and animals were carved on the fallen Turkey Oak in Moore Meadow in November 2015 as a memorial to Bernard Head, Founder Trustee and Treasurer of BWT.
Sadly, in just under five years, rot inside the dead wood caused collapses in 2020. The flying owl had to be removed for safety and another was broken. Two owls, a badger, a hare and the fairy door remain.
See more photos in our album. The flying owl was truly elegant and very striking!
Bernard was one of the early forces behind BWT, being a trustee, treasurer, and active management committee member. He did an enormous amount of work for the Trust, but for him it was just one of a series of volunteer activities he undertook in the service of his community.
He was also involved in many other clubs, charities and community organisations. The Trust was particularly lucky to benefit from Bernard’s expertise in charity matters where he ensured that compliance was of the highest order. He kept charge of our finances with great skill and enthusiasm and the strong financial position of the Trust is testament to his abilities. It wasn’t just the bookkeeping, but also the passion for boosting our finances via fund raising, grant submissions, seeking legacies and making gift aid reclaims.
In addition to offering specific skills in finance and charity matters, Bernard provided very wise council to the Management Committee, often correctly reigning in those of us with a more gung-ho approach! Bernard died in July 2015 following the slow decline of his physical capabilities brought on by motor neurone disease. To the end his brain remained razor sharp and he continued to act as our Treasurer until a few weeks before his death. We shall miss him greatly.