Helen Sergeant

Helen Sergeant -  Helen Christabel Sergeant - was an almost founder member of Craven Conservation Group (She joined during the first  year) and a good friend. She died on 25 August 2026. The funeral is on Friday 11th September 2026 at 3pm at Horton in Ribblesdale Church.  All welcome. There will be light refreshments at the Horton Village Hall afterwards BD24 0HA

This post has two parts -

1. The fun we have had at Craven Conservation Group, She 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 our hard copy back issues of the CCG Newsletter starting from 1983.

Helen eventually became our newsletter distributor, collecting a stack 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

Hoffmann Kiln - picture includes Jin Davie and at leastone of the boys; and Richard Brown  

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!)

Sorry its a lousy photo

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.

Here we are from CCG carrying out a survey of South House Pavement.
Mike Canaway, ?, Robert Starling, Helen and myself  2012-May 30th

Helen enjoyed looking for fungi - and eating edible ones such as waxcaps.

A fungus foray near Mitchell Lane, led by Jane (in pink) and Archie Macadam - Helen seen sitting.

Helen organised a visit to this cave on the little road North of Horton

One warm evening in summer she took a group of CCG members to see the  orchids and other plants near their house, and we got eaten alive by midges. Another time in winter, 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

The picture below shows a survey on 30 June 2007 organised by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust at The fields below Southerscales

Helen and Roger and Liz Neale on a YWT botanical surveying day on 30 June 2007  near Southerscales - surveying an area where Ingleton Archaeology Group were going to be carrying out a "dig". Helen was also involved with Ingleton Archaeology Group.

1 June 2023 - A 1st of the month "Climate Walk" at Ashes Pasture - See the Wood Crane's-bill and Globe-flower. Revd Stephen Dawson on the left.

Stephen, .. , Helen,  a Davies son, Geoff Morries, Jane Badley

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 continued to love 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 (8 months?) 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.

Wigglesworth Community Centre Lunch 7 March 2026

The river Hodder at Newton in Bowland 7 March 2026

Another day in winter we drove onto Henside, above Langcliffe and Stainforth.. 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 at Settle Methodist Church. 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. 

On 7 June 2026 a small group of us went from Craven Conservation Group to Horton-in-Ribblesdale Church in the afternoon during "Messy church"- to carry out a small survey of the churchyard plants and animals for "Churches Count on Nature" week. Some of the children came out and helped us look under stones for slugs and insect larvae. and we went in for tea.

7 June 2026 - Horton

In July Helen moved to Threshfield Court Care Home near Grassington. I went to visit here there one sunny evening on 7 July. 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 extra bits of garden trying to reach and photograph butterflies. 

Threshfield Court - 7 July

Then we walked round to Piece Fields, the side road next to Threshfield Court where Gerald and Jo Light live. Gerald used to be Newsletter Editor for CCG for a good number of years. They used to live 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 Garden 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.

I had plans to take her out to other places around Grassington but was been very busy over the next five weeks. I was still making plans... It was a shock to hear that she was ill and then two 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..