Helen Sergeant - Helen Christabel Sergeant - was a founder member of Craven Conservation Group and a good friend. She died about Two weeks ago. The funeral is on Friday 11th September 2026 at 3pm at Horton in Ribblesdale Church.
This post has two parts -
1. The fun we have had at Craven Conservation Group, of which she was a founding member, and served on the committee as Newsletter Distributor for many years
2. Some of the things we have done together over the last year.
This post is still being written and I will add a few more pictures shortly.
I: Craven Conservation Group - for people who want more details - just read out back issues of the CCG Newsletter starting from 1983.
Helen eventually became our newsletter distributor, collecting piles of used A4 envelopes to put the individual newsletters in, and then hand delivering many and posting the rest.
Key events I specifically remember, many with the Sergeant-Davis family - ( Helen, Jim, and sons William, Benjamin and Samuel)
Exploring the Hoffmann kiln, in the days when the tunnel was open
Going on a CCG walk on the newly built Settle Bypass. We then wrote to Craven District Council with extra recommendations about what trees to plant along the bypass. (See how big the trees are now)
We wrote to Horton Council to tell them about the impressive hay meadow plants growing on the steep slope above the far railway platform. And indeed due to the help of a volunteer they continued managing it by cutting the vegetation late in the year and then raking it off.
Helen organised a visit to the cave
One warm evening in summer she took a group of members to see some orchids and other plants near their house, and we got eaten alive by midges. Another time we had a mosses walk on their land.
She took part in the walk led by John Osborne up South House Moor on towards Ingleborough - in very wet weather
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Helen and Jim attended many of the CCG talks, meeting old friends such as Liz and Roger Neale, and Terry Whitaker.
Helen had been living with dementia developing for several years, but still loved the flowers, birds and butterflies. Jim her husband would bring her to Craven Conservation Group talks and she enjoyed the talks and meeting people.
Over the last year she had to move and stay at Anley Nursing Home at Settle, where she could be given 24 hour care. She adapted amazingly well. I had some very happy trips out with her. Recently she moved to Threshfield Court care home near Grassington, where I spent a happy evening in the garden (more of that below).
From Anley: One day we went to Wigglesworth Community Room for lunch. Then we drove to Newton in Bowland and went for a walk to the river. We returned via Stocks Reservoir. Then I took her all the way back to Selside where William, one of her three sons, was visiting.
Another day in winter we drove onto Malham Moor. I tried to persuade her to pose in the snow, but not unreasonably, she preferred to stay in the car.
At Jim's request I was occasionally able to ferry her from Anley to some Friday Sessions at Limestone View, and to the Tuesday afternoon Dementia Forward "Time Together Tuesday" sessions. Here they have tea and chat; On alternate weeks Chris(tine) Sturr leads them in singing. Other times they choose poems to read and have a quiz.
In July she moved to Threshfield Court Care Home near Grassington. I went to visit here there one sunny evening. She had a view with splendid views to the hills over Grassington. My mother used to be at Threshfield Court, 15 years ago. We went for a walk in the garden, exploring the wood and the extra areas. trying to reach and photograph butterfiles.
Then we walked round to Piecefields Close, where Gerald and Jo Light live. Gerald used to be Newsletter Editor for CCG for a good number of years. They lived in the (then) new houses at Barrel Sykes. Gerald goes for walks and still looks for birds. Jo is still a member of the Austrian Alpine Flower Society (or similar). She was lamenting how the glaciers are melting in Austria. It was nice that Helen could take part in, or at least listen to, lively, intelligent natural history conversation.
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| Threshfield Court - 7 July |
I had plans to take her out to other places but have been very busy. It was a shock to hear that she was ill and then a few days later that she had died.
Helen - thank you for what you have done for CCG over the years, and for all the happy memories we share..
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