It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of John Agar on 17 April 2020. John was a very committed and enthusiastic member of SACV and right up until recent weeks he was a stalwart of the group, for many years our most frequent volunteer. John was out with us most recently at Chorlton Water Park on Sunday 1 March, where he busily got stuck in to the construction of a willow arch.
John had a passion for the natural world and conservation and he especially enjoyed having more time to indulge these interests in later life. In former years, John was a fixture on our residential weekends in the Peaks, until he “retired” from weekends away in 2013. On those weekends, John continued his working life’s habit of very early starts, so by the time the rest of us were up John would inevitably have been for a walk to listen to the local birdsong as well as got the breakfast porridge, tea and toast on the go!
John was a founder member of the Friends of Chorlton Meadows, a group we have worked with many times over the years. Having lived in Chorlton all his life, John was a source of fascinating memories of the changing local environment.
Since the loss of John, tributes have come in from the volunteers who have worked with him over the years: it is clear he was held in huge affection and warm regard, a vocal advocate for the natural environment, infectiously enthusiastic and always willing to share his knowledge with others, warm and welcoming to volunteers of all ages, good-humoured and good company. He will be greatly missed.
