Richard Wilkinson

AN ISLANDER has donated £5,000 to a local environmental charity in order to create a memorial to his late wife.

Richard Wilkinson made the donation to Jersey Trees for Life, who used the money for their Island’s Hedgerow Campaign to plant more than 500 metres of hedgerow at Faldouet.

Mr Wilkinson’s wife, Shirley, died in July 2007 and he wanted to celebrate the life of the woman to whom he was married for 45 years.

The couple were keen on the local environment, and the well-being of squirrels in particular, as they used to frequent their garden in Gorey, so the decision was made to plant the hedgerow.

The Planning Department had previously studied the squirrel populations in St Martin and identified certain areas of fragmented habitat in the parish where replacement hedgerows were needed.

To celebrate the successful planting, Mr Wilkinson has also commissioned a commemorative stone to remember his late wife. It has been placed in Rue de la Pouclée et Les Quatre Chemins.

Jersey Trees for Life chairman Peter Townend said that they were very grateful to Mr Wilkinson for his kind donation. ‘This highlights the lasting value and influence that legacy donations of this kind can have on our natural environment and it is a fitting way of celebrating the life of a loved one,’ he said.