More about Judy
New Year's Honours List 2021 - Judy was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM)
'For services to Conservation of Wildlife and Habitats in Oxfordshire'. In response to those who sent congratulations on her award, Judy tweeted: 'Thank you for all the support. I don’t feel that anything I do for wildlife is possible without lots of help from others who do not get a mention'. Nominations for an Honour (which must be made without the nominees' knowledge) are sorted and sent to nine separate committees dealing with the different sectors to which nominees have contributed, so that an initial selection can be made. DEFRA's own Honours Secretariat Committee assesses nominations relating to the conservation of wildlife, protection of the environment etc, and forwards those they consider worthy of an award, with their opinion of the appropriate level of the award, to the Cabinet's Main Honours Committee, where final decisions are made on who should receive an award and the level of the award. The nominations they choose are then passed to the Queen by the Prime Minister. Further info available from Wikipedia For Judy's nomination DEFRA received letters from: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), Oxford City Council (Leisure, Parks and Communities), Natural England (the Government's adviser for the natural environment in England), Thames Valley Records Centre, the Ashmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire, Oxford Friends of the Earth, Fungus Survey of Oxford, Oxfordshire Geology Trust, Oxford Conservation Volunteers, and Friends of Lye Valley, as well as letters sent by individuals who have first-hand knowledge of Judy's voluntary work involving conserving and improving wildlife habitats, such as Milham Ford Nature Park, over a long period. |
Judy received her medal from the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Sir Tim Stevenson, representing the Queen, at a ceremony held at Oxford Register Office on 27 September 2021. For photos, full size, click here
Judy's reply to a tweet of the news, plus photo, by Friends of Lye Valley, was: 'What can I say? Warm thanks to all who have sent their congratulations on this. Saving as much biodiversity as I can is my life goal. I must add that this award would not have happened without dear friends proposing me and beavering away sending in lots of evidence & testimonials!' |
Judy was included in the BBC Woman's Hour 2020 Power List: Our Planet
(announced 16 November 2020). Unfortunately she was unable to accept the BBC's invitation to feature in one of the Woman's Hour programmes, like the others on the list, due to problems with her voice. See Oxford Mail article 24 Nov 2020. An article also appeared in The Oxford Times on 26 Nov 2020
From suggestions submitted by listeners, the panel of five judges chose '30 inspiring women whose work is making a significant positive contribution to the environment and the sustainability of our planet'. In No.1 position on the list is Caroline Lucas MP, Leader of the Green Party. Judy is No.25, with another Judy engaged in the voluntary environmental sector listed at No. 12: Judy Ling-Wong CBE, OBE, founder and Honorary President of the Black Environment Network. To see the full list click here.
Judy was completely unaware that she had been suggested and replied to the BBC Woman's Hour tweet: 'What a surprise and honour to be on this list! bit lost for words.....' To those who sent their congratulations, she tweeted "In the light of making it onto @BBCWomansHour #WHPowerList2020 thanks to all you lovely folk for the congrats. If new to me, I'm all about saving #biodiversity - look at my website https://judithwebb.weebly.com to learn of the species I care about - none will go extinct on my watch!' 9:29 am ·17 Nov 2020·Twitter
(announced 16 November 2020). Unfortunately she was unable to accept the BBC's invitation to feature in one of the Woman's Hour programmes, like the others on the list, due to problems with her voice. See Oxford Mail article 24 Nov 2020. An article also appeared in The Oxford Times on 26 Nov 2020
From suggestions submitted by listeners, the panel of five judges chose '30 inspiring women whose work is making a significant positive contribution to the environment and the sustainability of our planet'. In No.1 position on the list is Caroline Lucas MP, Leader of the Green Party. Judy is No.25, with another Judy engaged in the voluntary environmental sector listed at No. 12: Judy Ling-Wong CBE, OBE, founder and Honorary President of the Black Environment Network. To see the full list click here.
Judy was completely unaware that she had been suggested and replied to the BBC Woman's Hour tweet: 'What a surprise and honour to be on this list! bit lost for words.....' To those who sent their congratulations, she tweeted "In the light of making it onto @BBCWomansHour #WHPowerList2020 thanks to all you lovely folk for the congrats. If new to me, I'm all about saving #biodiversity - look at my website https://judithwebb.weebly.com to learn of the species I care about - none will go extinct on my watch!' 9:29 am ·17 Nov 2020·Twitter
Palaeontology
Skilled in the identification of pollen grains and fungal spores in peat and in lake deposits, and in environmental forensic trace evidence, Judy wrote the identification section of what is still the standard text on pollen identification, Pollen Analysis, Moore, Webb & Collinson, pub. by Wiley-Blackwell, latest edition 18 Aug 1994.
Judy's roles include:
Skilled in the identification of pollen grains and fungal spores in peat and in lake deposits, and in environmental forensic trace evidence, Judy wrote the identification section of what is still the standard text on pollen identification, Pollen Analysis, Moore, Webb & Collinson, pub. by Wiley-Blackwell, latest edition 18 Aug 1994.
Judy's roles include:
- Member of the Floodplain Meadows Group of the Ashmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire, which monitors flora, soils and hydrology.
- Associate Committee member of the Ashmolean Natural History Society of Oxfordshire and of its Oxfordshire Flora Group. The group's 'Flora Guardian' for 3 rare plant species*, which involves organising annual surveys and reporting back on the state of the plants' populations. *Details
- Assistant Bulletin Editor and committee member of the Dipterists Forum. Within this Forum, Judy is 'Fly Guardian' for four rare 'Adopted Species'*, which she monitors every year and reports on to its Conservation Officer. *Details
- First contact via PTES for verification of the extremely rare Orchard Tooth fungus, Sarcodontia crocea.
- Voluntary Species Recorder for:
Aston Rowant and Cothill Fen NNRs (for Natural England)
Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC)
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
Oxford City Council - Member of Oxford City Council's Pollinator Advisory Group
- Committee member, Friends of BBOWT Cothill Reserves, which include Parsonage Moor (adjacent to Cothill Fen NNR)
- Work with BBOWT's Wild Oxford Project - Lye Valley, Chilswell Valley, Rivermead Nature Park (Rosehill) and Raleigh Park Nature Reserve (between North Hinksey and Botley)
- Chairman of Friends of Lye Valley See also separate Friends of Lye Valley website
- Work with the Freshwater Habitats Trust (Ock catchment, which includes the Lye Valley), specifically the Trust's Oxfordshire Fens Project
- Helping with maintenance work at Abingdon Green Gym in Frilford Heath Ponds & Fens SSSI.
- Coordinator of the Friends of Milham Ford Nature Park conservation working group. Records Officer and committee member of the group in its previous form, New Marston Wildlife Group (dissolved 30 March 2015).
7 March 2018:
Judy was awarded a 'Freshwater Champion' certificate by the Freshwater Habitats Trust in recognition of 'the time, effort and dedication' she has given to the Trust's People, Ponds and Water project. She also received £25's worth of book tokens. A close-up of the certificate can be seen with other photos taken in the Lye Valley on 7 March here.
Any captions added to photos can be seen in full by clicking on the white circle with an 'i' in it at top right of photo, after clicking on a photo to get to slideshow view.
Oxford City Council Certificate of Honour awarded to Judy
At a presentation in Oxford Town Hall on 19 June 2017 Judy was one of 12 people who received a Certificate of Honour, an award given to individuals who have carried out exceptional voluntary work in Oxford City.
All nominations are considered by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stephenson OBE, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Jean Fookes, and the Director of Oxford Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA), Kathy Shaw. For the citation read out at the ceremony, click here. For the official group photo, click here. The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Jean Fookes, and the Sheriff of Oxford, Cllr Mohammed Altaf-Khan, also presented certificates.
The photo (one of the official ones taken of the event) shows Judy receiving her certificate from Lady Helen Baker, a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire.
At a presentation in Oxford Town Hall on 19 June 2017 Judy was one of 12 people who received a Certificate of Honour, an award given to individuals who have carried out exceptional voluntary work in Oxford City.
All nominations are considered by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stephenson OBE, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Jean Fookes, and the Director of Oxford Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA), Kathy Shaw. For the citation read out at the ceremony, click here. For the official group photo, click here. The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Jean Fookes, and the Sheriff of Oxford, Cllr Mohammed Altaf-Khan, also presented certificates.
The photo (one of the official ones taken of the event) shows Judy receiving her certificate from Lady Helen Baker, a Deputy Lieutenant for Oxfordshire.
The photo above was taken at the awards ceremony held at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes on 12 February 2014. Bob Silverwood (on the left of the photo) and Mick Venters (on the right) were nominated for the 'partnership working category'. They are NE wardens for Aston Rowant, Cothill Fen (both in Oxfordshire), as well as two NNRs not in Oxfordshire, and 'great to work with', says Judy. (To see the framed award, click here.)
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Judy won the 2013 Natural England GRAFTA* in the Individual Volunteer category for species-recording work at Aston Rowant (Oxon), Cothill Fen (Oxon) and Barton Hills (Beds) NNRs (National Nature Reserves). *Awarded in 2014 for work done in 2013. GRAFTAS = Green Awards for Terrific Achievers
To see the Natural England report and a photo of Judy receiving her award from its Chairman, Andrew Sells, click here Natural England acknowledges that Judy has "added many new ‘notable and nationally scarce’ records to the reserves lists and shared records with the County Records centre. These records directly help nature conservation and improve how habitats are managed". In a previous posting on the Natural England website Judy is complimented for setting "a very high standard for biological recording" and making "a huge contribution to our understanding of the sites she is involved with". Judy has also carried out species surveys in the Lye Valley SSSI fens, which are threatened by the effects of development, in Port Meadow and Wolvercote Common and in Marston Meadows, Oxford. |
Judy was one of the contributors to The Flies Workshop, a Radio 4 programme about work done by members of the Dipterists' Forum (one in the series 'Bitten by the Bug') broadcast on 11 October 2011. The programme is still available on the BBC iPlayer - click here. The first interview with Judy starts about half way through the programme, at the 07:20 mark and the second at 11:28.