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Trevor Beer, the well-known Devon writer and wildlife artist, was born on The Rock, Pilton, in January 1937 and died in June 2017. He went to Pilton School next to St Mary’s Church and his boyhood haunts were Shearford Lane, Tutshill Woods and Mannings Pit, places very familiar to the children of Pilton and their parents over the years. He was an avid chess player and ran an award-winning field club for enthusiastic youngsters for many years. He was a champion of the North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and was always keen to help preserve habitats. Besides being a wildlife expert, and an expert on the British Big Cat situation, Trevor did a lot of work for the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. He was awarded the MBE in 2002 for his contribution to journalism and environment.
To mention all of Trevor’s achievements would take a considerable time, but many are listed in the article by Endymion Beer, a colleague and friend, which you can download from The Pilton Story archive. Over the years Trevor has been rightly described in the newspapers as an Ambassador for Nature and even a National Treasure. Equally importantly, Trevor was a husband, a father, and grandfather and a great grandfather, but he was equally adored by his readers who would send him the most wonderful letters with wildlife queries and observations. He was passionate about preserving the countryside generally and especially the Bradiford Valley, including the now threatened Mannings Pit, and the Pilton he grew up in. He was still working when he died at 80 years old.

Many thanks for preparing this article to Endymion Beer and Rosemary Beer, Trevor's wife.