A FATHER and son whose lives have been dedicated to conservation have appeared side by side on the King’s Birthday Honours list.

Volunteer Tony Atkinson, 89, was awarded the MBE for his services to wildlife and ecology. And in what Tony describes as an amazing and wonderful coincidence, his son, Professor Angus Atkinson, was recognised for his services to polar marine research and conservation.

Professor Atkinson, who attended Callington School, is now based at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

Tony, who lives in Downgate, explained how an affinity for the natural world is shared by the whole family: daughter Kim is an established wildlife artist.

“On coming to Cornwall in 1969 when my children were growing up, my wife Mary and I became very interested in the geology, mining and natural history of this area.

“We recorded natural history, at first locally with the Caradon Field Club, but then more widely in Cornwall.

“Mary and I spent a lot of time botanical recording and she was co-author of the 2000 Flora Atlas of Cornwall Plants.”

Tony’s early career began in agriculture, and after farming for ten years he went onto the water, running a trawling company with his brother.

Alongside outdoor work from forestry to erecting pig houses, Tony took up various voluntary roles in conservation, including with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

He continued to carry out contract bat survey work into his 80s, only recently fully retiring from paid work but continuing to volunteer as a Natural England bat warden, and always mentoring the next generation of trainees.

Tony’s inspiration comes from the everyday, yet secret world of nature that shares our own spaces.

“Think of the very humble Harvest Mouse. How many people have actually seen one alive, in the wild? In 89 years I've only ever seen one.

“The Cornwall Mammal Group have been out searching for them over the last two winters. We find them in almost every suitable habitat throughout the county almost every time we search for them. They are everywhere - but unless we go looking for them we would never know!”

A colleague in the Mammal Society said: “Tony is one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic members of the Cornwall Group and is always happy to share his experience.

“Although well into his 9th decade, he is still leading underground bat hibernation surveys, going where others fear to tread, and scampering around rooves as a bat ecologist. He has been active in establishing several local wildlife groups and also setting up and supporting recording in Cornwall. “Between he and Mary, his wife, there is little about wildlife they don’t know, and if there is then they go and find out!”