Hilary Brooker-carey

Hilary is one of the unsung heros of her local community. Locally, she is called the 'Bird Woman of Amble' and has devoted all of her spare time to caring for, and monitoring the wildlife of the area, and in particular the eider ducks of the Coquet Island and the estuary. For Twenty years, Hilary is out early every morning rain or shine, to safeguard the creches of eider ducklings arriving at the busy little fishing port of Amble, through logging their distribution, rescuing lost ducklings and spreading the word of just how important wildlife is to the local environment and how it enriches our lives. When not patrolling the estuary, she dons a lifejacket and takes a small rubber dinghy to the RSPB reserve Coquet Island, one mile off the Northumberland coast. Here she helps with the monitoring, the mundane tasks, the night watches to safeguard the rare seabirds that nest there and even repairs the clothes for the wardens marooned out there each bird breeding season. Hilary's 'trademark' is a pair of binoculars which she always has round her neck! Hilary's boundless enthusiasm and infectious smile inspires all she meets and helps us appreciate and care for the environment around us. Hilary is a modest person, the kind of person who hides her light under a bushel - this nomination would offer her a rare chance to carry a torch high. A worthy nominee.