A fund which has raised £14,500 in honour of an internationally-renowned scientist who died is now open to young farmers and budding agricultural scientists.
Applications are now being considered for a fund that was launched in memory of an internationally-recognised scientist - Dick Potts from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).
The idea for the fund, in memory of Mr Potts, came from his wife Olga.
After Mr Potts' death on March 30 this year, Olga was inundated with letters from people he had helped and inspired over the years and who wanted to give something back.
In order to do this, she launched the Dick Potts Legacy Fund.
Since the appeal launched, more than £14,500 has been raised. This will help cover the expenses of small projects covering such things as farmland wildlife research, investigating flora and associated habitats, purchasing research supplies and equipment.
Young farmers, landowners and gamekeepers can all apply to receive grants from the Dick Potts Legacy Fund.
'Innovative'
Julie Ewald, head of geographical information science at GWCT, who together with Olga helped organise the fundraising appeal, gives an overview of the types of applications the committee organising the fund is looking for.
“Dick Potts was quite innovative in how he would arrive at the solution to a problem, often devising small experiments or ways of analysing data that showed the best way forward,” she said.
“What we are looking for is similar projects that seek to advance the field of applied wildlife ecology, based on the hunch of those involved in hands on conservation work. They should be well thought out and address a recognised problem in conservation. We look forward to reading applications and deciding on which ones to support with funds from the Dick Potts Legacy Fund.
“It is due to the generosity of friends, family and former colleagues of Dick that we are able to offer this opportunity and we would like to thank everyone for their kind donations.
“The plan is to keep the fund going into the future so any further donations will be gratefully received.”
