On the bank of the River Severn, Britain’s longest river, sits the world-renowned Slimbridge Wetland Centre. The reserve was established in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott after he recorded the UK’s second lesser whitefronted goose on the Gloucestershire site. Later that same year, Scott founded the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT). The Slimbridge reserve is now the WWT’s flagship site, with another nine wetland reserves across the country.
Scott is considered one of the true pioneers of environmental conservation, not only for his work with the WWT, but as co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund and for his innovative use of television to bring wildlife to the masses; including when he presented the first-ever natural history programme live from his Slimbridge home in 1953.
Scott died in August 1989. His legacy is epitomised by his efforts to conserve the natural world, and it shadows his other achievements that include winning a bronze medal for sailing at
