David Taylor (Trustee with the Friends of the South Downs) will tell us about his love for the South Downs, and how the Friends of the South Downs have been protecting and enhancing them for over 100 years.

Join David Taylor as he shares his experience of flying RAF jets around the UK, leading to his love of our beautiful landscape, and especially the South Downs. In this illustrated talk, David will explain how the Friends of the South Downs came about, what it has done in the past, and what it is doing today to preserve the landscape for future generations.

David is a trustee with the Friends of the South Downs, an independent charity founded in 1923, and the only membership organisation dedicated to conserving and enhancing the beauty and amenities of the South Downs. During his school years in Hertfordshire, he clearly remembers a geography field trip to Sussex where the seed of his love for the South Downs was sown.

After leaving school, David joined the RAF as a pilot, where he routinely flew over the British landscape at low altitude, fuelling his love for our green and pleasant land. Leaving the RAF after 19 years service, he moved his family to Sussex and spent the next 23 years flying airliners around the world, but in his own words, his favourite destination is his home near the South Downs. Retired since 2019, he now dedicates much of his free time to walking the Downs, armed with his binoculars and camera.

A dedicated photographer, birdwatcher and nature lover, he loves taking time to enjoy everything the South Downs has to offer. As a member and trustee with the Friends of the South Downs, he feels strongly about giving something back for the joy the Downs brings him, and sharing it with other people.