John Ludlam

Dear Friends

We are sorry to have to pass on the sad news that our friend John has passed away. He will be sorely missed.

He died suddenly early on Thursday morning. Only days before, he was actively engaged in the work of the Trust and feeling well. So, this has come as a shock to us all.

Many of you will know John, who has been a Trustee of the Calder Rivers Trust since 2013. During the ensuing years, he has – as I am sure that many of you will agree – been a positive influence on projects and ideas that have, and will, bring about a better natural world for the people and wildlife in the Calder catchment.

Always cheerful and optimistic in meetings, John made sure he challenged us to remember to be inclusive – always thinking about how best to benefit people in our work. He was a great partnership builder – and sought to heal divisions where those existed and find common ground to build on. With a great capacity for self-reflection and little care for his own ego, added to a keen sense of humour – he was a perfect mediator to have on the Board.

John was especially supportive of our Riverfly monitoring programme – and championed the work and value of volunteers. He took a lot of pride in his coordinating role with his fellow Riverfly monitors in the upper reaches of the catchment – always remembering to make sure it was a pleasant and sociable group to be involved in.

His legacy will live on here, and he leaves us in a much better place for his involvement. As we reflect on the John who we knew, and the contributions that he made, we have all said how very grateful we were for his friendship and comradeship. A great guy.

We are able to pass on messages to the family for those wishing to do so. His wife Mo will let us know about funeral arrangements once set. We will update this page once known.

We send our condolences to the family, and raise a pint to John and all he achieved at the Trust.

Yours sincerely
The Trustees and staff of the Calder Rivers Trust