Two expert naturalists with a passion for sharing their knowledge about wildlife with future generations are winners of the 2024 HNHS Awards

Stephen Lings, posthumous winner of the Trevor James Award for an outstanding Hertfordshire naturalist was county recorder for bees, wasps millipedes and centipedes before his sad death in March, aged 63. But his natural history achievements went far beyond that, as the Society's Autumn Meeting heard on Saturday 16 November.

Top picture shows Roger Havard and Jane Pickering (on behalf of the late Stephen Lings) with their awards (©Tim Hill)

As a wildlife artist, his talents were mentored during his teenage years by Sir Peter Scott leading to a successful career as a graphic artist. His early enthusiasm for moths and then other insects led to leading roles in the Amateur Entomologists' Society and the British Entomological and Natural History Society. He was also an energy efficiency expert and pioneer of ethical business projects, including Big Green Book, a network promoting environmentally sustainable practice.

Stephen Lings (1961-2024) (©Jane Pickering)

Steve, who lived in Redbourn, also won the prestigious Marsh Award for an outstanding contribution to entomological science. Receiving the Trevor James Award, his partner Jane Pickering recalled his determination to share his expertise and enthusiasm by organising meetings, workshops and bioblitzes, some of which attracted hundreds of participants.

Roger Havard, winner of the Society's 1875 Award for an outstanding contribution to natural history in Hertfordshire, is also a committed educator with 30 years experience of introducing children, young people and the wider public to bats. He has become a familiar figure in schools and outdoor events introducing his audience to live bats while explaining their use of echolocation and other remarkable adaptations as flying mammals.

Roger Havard introducing children to a Pipistrelle Bat

He is a past Chair of the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Bat Group and an active participant in its rescue service for injured animals, helping them to recover and fly again. But he also cares for some whose wing damage means they cannot take to the air, making them part of his education work. Roger, whose home is in Ware, says that passing on knowledge about bats to the next generation gives him great pleasure: “What makes it worthwhile is the joy on little people’s faces, their excitement at learning something that their parents probably won’t know about when they tell them later!"

Further information about this year's  winners – and  winners from previous years – can be found on our Annual Awards page.