Out & About March 2017

The hutch with a view W hen Elizabeth Morrison was growing up in the village of freely through the country beside the River Kennet. Elizabeth loved nature, and birds in particular; she could name most birds by sight, and knew their calls and songs too. Years later Elizabeth took her own children Ann, David and Margaret to the same places and passed on her love of wildlife; encouraging them to look out for birds and listen for the different calls to identify which ones were singing. When Elizabeth died in 2012, her children decided to create a legacy in their mother’s name, so she would always be remembered in a place where she loved being close to nature and they chose the Nature Discovery Centre in Thatcham as the location. Sadly, in 2014 Elizabeth’s daughter Ann Hutchings died after a brave battle with cancer. Discussions between the family and the Wildlife Trust, which runs the Nature Discovery Centre on behalf of West Berkshire Council, continued and this winter The Hutch was unveiled as the memorial to mother and daughter. Thatcham in the 1930s she played outdoors with her friends, roaming

The Hutch at the Discovery Centre, Thatcham is a fitting memorial to mother and daughter nature lovers Elizabeth and Ann Hutchings, as Wendy Tobitt from the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust discovered

The Hutchings family from the left: Sue Hutchings (Ann’s sister-in-law), Ann Parker (Ann’s wife), David Hutchings and Margaret Neville (Ann’s brother and sister) and Richard Neville (Ann’s brother-in-law).

“Our family name is Hutchings and Ann was always known as Hutch, so we were very pleased when the lovely staff at the Nature Discovery Centre agreed to call the building The Hutch. “It is a fitting and lasting legacy to our dear sister and mother,” said Ann’s sister, Margaret Neville, when she visited the Nature Discovery Centre recently. Built from sustainably-sourced green oak timbers with larch walls and roof, The Hutch is already a favourite spot for Nature Tots and Young Rangers, two of the nature clubs run at the Nature Discovery Centre, as well as school groups. “Ann was a popular school teacher, so the fact that The Hutch is being used for so many groups of young people to teach them about birds and nature is absolutely perfect,” said Margaret. Manager of the Nature Discovery Centre Liz Shearer helped Ann’s sister and brother create The Hutch. She says: “We were very happy to work with Margaret and David to create The Hutch as a lasting memorial to their mother Elizabeth and sister Ann.”

This spring, take a moment to sit with your family inside The Hutch and enjoy the birdsong from nearby trees.You too could pass on a love of wildlife to the next generation, just as Elizabeth did.

Ann Hutchings

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.bbowt.org.uk/whats-on

Picture: Becky O’Melia

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