AFTER nearly 35 years of lobbying, believing and putting the work in, parish councillor Colin Thompson has seen a landfill site transformed into a beautiful nature reserve.
On Wednesday, the Moreton resident was given special recognition for his work with the renaming of the viewing mound.
The unveiling of "Colin's View" came as a complete surprise to Cllr Thompson who was attending a ceremony celebrating the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge Award.
He said: "I didn't expect it – I was dumbstruck. I knew there might be a little something but to have the plaque and a view named after me, it is amazing.
"I have been campaigning and working for this since 1979.
"It has been a long time coming. It started with a parish council meeting, discussing what to do with the site.
"Since then I have pushed and pushed, as a member of the council and as a clerk to the council, to get something done.
"When I first went down there it was so bad you could kick away the soil with your foot and find bin bags poking through.
"Eventually, Epping Forest District Council realised something had to be done and here we are today. I think it is beautiful.
"After everything has grown up and nature has taken its course it will look even better. We have got it this far, nature will do the rest of the work."
Over 5,000 trees have been planted on the site, including a Dutch Elm disease-resistant tree on the viewing mound.
The nature reserve was awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge Award and the Essex Wildlife Trust (EWT) Living Landscapes Award.
Councillor Will Breare-Hall, portfolio holder for environment, and Councillor Mary Sartin, chairman of the council, revealed the plaque to residents, staff and contractors who worked on the former landfill site.
The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge award demonstrates a clear commitment to protect public access to outdoor space and to safeguard opportunities for outdoor recreation, now and forever.
It also serves to raise awareness of the importance of public open spaces for the quality of life, health, the environment and amenity.
The EWT award is given to sites which enhance wildlife and create a landscape that enables species and people to move through.
The criteria are whether the project is good for wildlife, good for people, and good for the local economy. The award was presented to Epping Forest District Council's Countrycare team.
