Dr Margaret Bradshaw MBE

Conservationist , Botanist, Author and Doctor of Science

Image credit: Rebecca Cole for The Guardian

What do you do?

I earned my doctorate from Durham University in 1959 and taught in Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies. In the 1960s, I joined the Teesdale Defence Committee to oppose the damming of the River Tees. In 1983, I moved to Devon to work for the Nature Conservancy Council, where I studied rare plants. Upon returning to Teesdale in the late 1990s, I continued to advocate for the conservation of the area's rare flora.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

At 98, I am a lifelong advocate for conserving Teesdale’s unique flora. I lead a team of volunteers and head the Upper Teesdale Special Flora Research and Conservation Trust, which I founded. My work is featured in the book Teesdale's Special Flora: Places, Plants and People. I have received numerous honours, including an MBE in 1977, honorary membership of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland in 2010, the Marsh Botany Award in 2012, the Pendlebury Award in 2013, and the prestigious HH Bloomer Award from the Linnean Society of London in 2023.

What do you love about this topic?

The unique Teesdale floral assemblage is highly worthy of conservation in a global context. Threats to its survival remain real and urgent and this spurs the team on to continue this vital work of monitoring plants year by year, allowing us to document change and assess conservation status. It remains as fascinating today as it has always been. 

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

The work has been encapsulated within a book published by Princeton University Press with a global reach. Contributions to reports of conservation status help in this regard too, maintaining the public interest in this unique flora.