Latest News, 23^rd March 2025:

• The List of written Books by 49 Club Members has now been updated and is available on the Club Hub page.
• There is a new title listed by Flemming Ulf-Hansen, entitled Exmoor. Described as a volume that "should bring the inspiration and the particularities of place together and allow the landscape of Exmoor to shine…"
• Please also note that, after many years of dedicated service, Steve Berry has now handed over responsibility for maintaining the book list. In future, any additions or amendments should be e-mailed to Neil Hailey.
• The book list document has also been extensively re-formatted to improve readability, by Ken Taylor.
• IMPORTANT NOTE! Could everyone who wishes to attend the Club Annual Reunion in West Norfolk in June this year please send their application forms in as soon as possible. There are still some places available but the deadline for applications is fast approaching. Thanks all.
• The 49 Club website has also had a bit of a spring clean! It should look almost the same but has actually been completely re-structured. Some sections have been merged with others and some navigation has changed, such as scrollable menus in place of drop-down boxes. The main reason for the changes was to enhance visibility to search engines so that the website is more findable and accessible. If anyone had been using the App version of the website they will find that it does not currently work, but all browser-based viewing should work OK. Please do let me know if you find any problems. Thanks, Ken Taylor, Webmaster.

Latest News, 10^th December 2024:

• The 49 Club Annual Newsletter has now been printed and should hit members' doormats within the next day or two. Look out for a bumper edition this year, with more pages and more photos! Here are some of the highlights:
• There is a comprehensive report on the 2025 Reunion (see the back and inside back cover). Also included, as an insert, is the Booking Letter and Booking Forms for the event which should be completed as soon as possible if you wish to attend.
• Keep a keen eye on your email inboxes too! Neil Hailey will be circulating an electronic version of the Booking Forms to everyone and PDF versions of the Newsletter for those who have opted for that format rather than receiving a printed copy.
• Also see the Recent Events section for further details of the 2025 Reunion.
• Many thanks to all our contributors who have excelled this year with articles for the usual sections on News, New Members, Appreciations, Book Reviews and News from the Statutory Bodies sections.
• There are also many great Articles - many thanks to all who contributed. We are especially grateful to Professor David Goode for his invaluable contribution to the Flow Country story and working for the NCC and the Greater London Council.
• As usual, the centrepiece of the Newsletter is a series of superb reports of two excellent days we enjoyed in June at the 2024 Reunion, which was organised by Phil & Janette Holms and Carolyn & Ken Taylor in the Somerset Levels area. A big thanks to all of those who took notes and photos on the day and have made this section so enlightening.
• We are also pleased to announce the addition of two new articles to the website - see the Articles tab/page and click on the Dropdown menu and select: Bridgwater Bay Evolution in Maps or Confessions of a contract worker
• Thanks go to Pat Doody for the Bridgwater Bay Evolution in Maps article. This is an extended version of his short introduction to Bridgwater Bay and Steart Marshes which appears in the Newsletter in the 2024 Reunion section.
• Thanks also to Sue Everett for providing an extended version of her Confessions of a contract worker article which appears in abridged form in the New Members section of the Newsletter.
• Steve Berry has also kindly updated the List of Books written by 49 Club Members, which is available to download in PDF format in the Club Hub section.
• The latest updated version of the list of 49 Club Members is now available as a downloadable PDF in the Club Hub section.

Latest News, 26^th June 2024:

• The 2024 Annual Reunion event was held in the Somerset Levels last week and has been well-received by the approximately 70 members who attended two days of conservation walks, presentations and an evening dinner.
• Prior to the dinner, Professor Goode chaired a business meeting at which members were brought up to date with latest news and developments from the Committee, with questions from those present.
• Provisional plans for the 2025 Annual Reunion event were announced (see details on the Recent Events page).
• Professor Goode then informed members of his intention to step down as Club chair and introduced Dr David Parker who will now take on the role.
• Dr Parker thanked Professor Goode for his many years of service to the Club and presented him with a framed photograph of members taken at the 2023 Annual Reunion near Malvern (image below).
• Dr Parker subsequently chaired the proceedings for the remainder of the evening dinner.
• We are also pleased to announce the addition of a new article to the website - see the Articles tab/page and click on the Dropdown menu and select: Memoirs of NCC Scotland
• Peter Marren has contributed this excellent account of his memories of life in the NCC's North-East Scotland region between 1977 and 1984.
• Settle down for a good long read - many members will be familiar with the places and people mentioned, and all in Peter's inimitable, entertaining and flowing style.

Latest News, 9^th June 2024:

• The 49 Club is sad to advise members of the passing of former colleague Bob Gibbons, who has died aged 74. Bob was ARO for NCC in Hampshire during the 1980s working with Colin Tubbs. He was a renowned writer and wildlife photographer with his own agency and also ran Natural History Travel, leading wildlife tours, especially for plants, all around Europe, as well as to South Africa, the United States, Newfoundland, Costa Rica and the Galapagos.
• follow this link for Bob Gibbons's full obituary, written by Peter Marren and Richard Mabey, as published in The Guardian newspaper:
      Bob Gibbons's full obituary

Latest News, 10^th March 2024:

• A list of 49 Club Members is now available on the Club’s website as a downloadable PDF.
• Visit the Club Hub page to download the list.

Latest News, 24^th February 2024:

• The 49 Club website has been redesigned in a completely new format:
• The content from the old (legacy) website has been retained, although some sections have been renamed and combined.
• Many new sections have been added, the main ones being:
• News - major club news stories combined into (this) new section.
• Club Hub - a central hub for miscellaneous Members' Interests & Articles, including downloadable documents and links to playable Audio Articles.
• Gallery - collections of slideshows and photo albums.
• Articles - collections of short articles submitted by Members and contributors.
• Audio Video - collections of short articles with accompanying playable Audio or Videos submitted by Members and contributors. Some articles have two subsections, with a choice of Audio + Slideshow or Audio + Video.
• Info - pages of website Settings & Preferences, Info & Help, Legal Matters & Terms.
• Much of the content in the new sections has been produced for demonstration purposes only. I am hoping that anyone who wishes to contribute content for publication on the website will contact a Committee Member who can then assess it and send content to me for publication. Thanks all, Ken Taylor, Webmaster.
• Some new content has been submitted by Members:
• To add to their previous audio article on Tom Pritchard, Tom and Gisèle Wall have supplied photos for an accompanying video slideshow and also a new audio video article on Philip Oswald. Photo sets from these two articles are also in the Gallery.
• Rob Williams has supplied some memorable photos from the distant past which are in the Gallery section.

Latest News, 28^th November 2023:

• The 49 Club Newsletter for 2023 has now been posted to all members.
• Enclosed with the Newsletter are the details for the 2024 Annual Reunion Event and Booking Forms, which will also be emailed to Members shortly. Please return your completed forms promptly and make a special note of the advice that rooms at the main hotel need to be booked very early for this year's event.
• Check out also a couple of interesting new items and Members' Interests & Articles on the Club Hub page.
• Pat Doody's blog written during lockdown between April 2020 and March 2021.This is a natural history diary, with observations of wildlife in and around Pat’s home at Brampton, Cambs and illustrated with dozens of stunning photographs – well worth a read.
• a recording of an interview with Tom Pritchard, made by Tom and Gisèle Wall in 2015. The full interview is now available on the Club’s website as a playable audio file.

The 49 Club website is designed, maintained and hosted by Ken Taylor.