'Visionary pioneer' of Shropshire wildlife conservation made an MBE in King's Birthday Honours
The former chief executive of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust has said it was "lovely" to be recognised in the King's Birthday Honour's list, but "totally unexpected", as he was made a Member of the British Empire.
Colin Preston MBE has received the honour for services to wildlife conservation in Shropshire and The Marches after spending 32-years with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
Mr Preston, from Maesbrook near Oswestry, has been described as a "visionary pioneer" and "outstanding ambassador" for wildlife conservation in the county and was among the first to realise the benefits of taking a holistic approach to landscape conservation.
He has been named alongside five others in Shropshire, including Marion Micklewright founder of Shropshire Cat Rescue and local radio presenter Eric Smith.
Commenting on the award, Mr Preston said: "I think I got a letter three or four weeks ago and you never expect it and I was surprised – it was totally unexpected.
"It's lovely to be recognised. The main thing that strikes me is is that the many people you work with deserve the credit just as much as you do, so in some ways I feel like a bit of a fraud.
"I work for a charity and they all do a brilliant job."
Mr Preston, 62, had been chief executive of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust since 1991 up until his retirement in 2020.
He has led ground-breaking initiatives within the Shropshire Wildlife Trust but also as an innovator and enabler across the partnership of 46 Royal Society Wildlife Trusts.
As early as 1994, in partnership with Natural England and Forestry Commission, he spearheaded extensive habitat renewal of the Stiperstones, a complex area of exceptional heathland, with the re-establishment of purple heather.
In 2020, Mr Preston oversaw the creation of the Wild Marches, a nature recovery network in partnership with Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Herefordshire Trusts.
From 2016 he led development of 'Slow the Flow', an initiative working alongside stakeholders and the Environment Agency to create natural barriers along the River Corve. This work is due to inform national flood prevention strategies.
Mr Preston has recognised the power of public awareness and the potential of young people, with youth forums and young people’s question time with local MPs.
When asked about his career highlights, Mr Preston said: "The main privilege is working with people who really care and want to make a difference and we've had hundreds and thousands of volunteers over the years.
"People recognise the natural world has been under some great pressure and we have seen some great changes. It's easy to dwell on the negatives, but if you think about the positives it as been amazing to be a part of that."
"We have seen some major species come back into the county that didn't exist before including otters which have moved from Wales to Birmingham – and all things like that are success stories."
He went on to say that meeting with politicians, developers and farmers who really do care about conservation and the environment, has also been a privilege.
