Ioan F Thomas (1928-2019)
Credit: Oundle School
With sadness, we report the death of one of our Vice-presidents, Ioan Thomas, who was Hon. Secretary of Northants Naturalists’ Trust for 17 years, a trustee of the three-county Trust from 1994 to 1997 and Hon. Secretary 1995-1997. Ioan had been involved with the Wildlife Trust in Northamptonshire since its foundation in 1963, when a small group of like-minded individuals with little money but a burning desire to save the county’s rapidly-dwindling wildlife habitats came together. He put on a special display to mark our 50th Anniversary in 2013, and gave some moving reflections on the early days of the Northants Trust at our 50th Anniversary celebrations at Cranford Hall in 2013.
A renowned and much-loved biology teacher at Oundle School, Ioan’s former pupils include leading ornithologist Colin Bibby, and evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins, who credits Ioan with inspiring his interest in science, and in coaching him to get into Oxford.
Ioan’s particular interest was in black hairstreak butterflies, which he monitored closely for over 30 years, and which prompted his first involvement in conservation. When he heard in 1974 that the owners of Glapthorn Cow Pasture were selling the wood to grub up the trees and turn it into arable land, he and his fellow Trust members moved swiftly to purchase it and nearby Short Wood.
Ioan was also a first-rate field botanist, a contributor to two floras of Northamptonshire and the county rare plants register. With Franklyn Perring, for several years he ran a series of plant identification workshops, and helped inspire the BSBI’s county co-ordinators and local groups network.
Trust chief executive, Brian Eversham said: "Through the decades, Ioan was a loyal and unwavering supporter of the Trust, who helped guide and encourage generations of staff and volunteers. He brought a personal warmth and grace to every conversation, making everyone he met feel appreciated and supported, and motivated to do even more for local wildlife."