A dedicated volunteer, Hugh Gregory was a great supporter of GWT in many ways, including through his amazing photography, his fundraising and support for our No New M4 and Save the Gwent Levels campaigns.

Hugh was often seen camera in hand at Magor Marsh, a place he said he loved visiting to immerse himself in the nature and wildlife.

One of Hugh’s last volunteering duties for us was as our ‘official’ photographer at our Bridewell nature reserve opening in June. He had a dry wit and joked at the time that we were ‘spoiling him’ by giving him his own handwritten ID badge. Supporting our charity never seemed a chore for Hugh and if he could help, he would, and this came on top of his responsibilities of being a carer for his wife Denise.

Over the past seven plus years, he kindly allowed us to use, free of charge, the stunning photographs he had taken of the many species which have made the Gwent Levels and Magor Marsh their home, including kingfishers, water voles, rare Common cranes, and dragonflies, as well as the changing seasons at this landscape.

He enjoyed a challenge and was always willing to take photos of species, landscapes, reserve visiting politicians, VIPS and even celebrities for us, upon request.

He created a calendar using his stunning images called Birds of the Gwent Levels and sold it in aid of GWT to support our fundraising Reserves Appeal  - which he became an ambassador of.

In a blog he wrote for us, Hugh described a memorable encounter at Magor Marsh with one of the UK’s most elusive mammals – the otter saying, “Within an hour of being at Magor Marsh, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot! I’d taken some amazing shots of all types of birds and then an otter appeared, it was a perfect day!”

Hugh will be missed, however his memory and love of nature will live on in the many photographs he has taken over the years of wildlife and wild places, including the Gwent Levels and our Magor Marsh nature reserve.

We pass on our condolences to his wife Denise, son Joe and family.

Hugh’s funeral took place on Oct 16, and his family kindly asked for donations in lieu of flowers for our charity.

Here with kind permission from his family, we publish a gallery of Hugh’s stunning photographs.