​​‘Ian was such a kind supportive fellow trustee, and I will personally miss the generous sharing of his vast NCS knowledge with a novice like me’ ~ Chris Arnott, ZCH Vice-Chair and Secretary

 

‘A real loss to the environmental community.’ ~ Sue Campagna, ZCH Finance Officer

 

‘Ian was an inspiring person with such a mix of qualities. He contributed so much and will be so missed.’ ~ Jane Gaukroger, former ZCH Vice Chair

 

‘A tragedy, and a great loss to our world.’ ~ Deborah Booth, ZCH member and volunteer

 

‘My memory of working with Ian during the Woodland Creation Conference in 2018, held at Ripley Castle and hosted by ZCH. This was a very informative day, and I leant much both from the conference and from Ian. We were both representing ZCH. I focused mostly on the networking and motivation, while Ian was involved with the practical matters.’ ~ Christine Jack, ZCH supporter

 

‘Ian made such a positive impact through his environmental work; his love of nature shone through. He was always reading and sharing interesting stories and I learned so many things from him. He’ll be well missed.’ ~ Sunita Soundur, ZCH Climate Action Coordinator

 

‘I’ve been working with Ian for the last four or five years, primarily on the nature impacts of planning applications and later thorough ZCH’s management committee. I’ve learned a lot from Ian about the natural world and the role it can play in tackling climate, but in a very interesting way. It was imbibed knowledge rather than taught. Ian would wait to be asked questions and would never flaunt his deep understanding of his favoured subject. He let me draw it out of him. But this was Ian all over - very quiet, gentle and humble - he not only knew an awful lot, he peppered his knowledge with wisdom, he was careful in what he said and was generous with his time. He was never one to make a fuss. He just got on with his passion, quietly and usually behind the scenes. We shall miss him greatly.’ Tim Larner, ZCH Vice-Chair

 

'Very sad news and a huge loss' - Fergus Clawson, ZCH IT Support

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‘We have lost a quiet man of wisdom and integrity, an eco-warrior who put hope into action.

Ian was the spark that started Zero Carbon Harrogate. His decision to show the film “This Changes Everything” at St Peter’s Church in December 2015 brought us together. Driven by his yearning for justice and ecological awakening he wanted others to understand better the implications of climate change. From that film showing a small group was formed to help the Harrogate area respond proactively, setting a vision for a sustainable future.

 

Ian has been instrumental to Zero Carbon Harrogate from those early days, developing a particular interest in how natural climate solutions, tree planting and restoring biodiversity, can play their part in sequestering carbon and helping the local economy cope better with extreme weather. He was a ZCH trustee, representing the charity on the White Rose Forest partnership, liaising with the Rotary Club of Harrogate to support their tree planning in Nidderdale, and contributing to multiple government and council consultations on planning and landscape strategy.

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Ian has always been a calm dependable member of ZCH, more than that he was a dear friend with a rich sense of humour and generosity of spirit. His quiet faith underpinned his open and equitable way of working with people and his deep love and respect for creation. He wrote recently: