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The winner of the first Tewin Society Award is Margaret Knight. She receives the shield with her plaque engraved on it to hold for a year and a glass vase as a keepsake. To appreciate her lasting legacy for the village Ray Keppler, the chairman of THACS summarised her achievements in the following statement: For centuries, Tewin had been a village with a landscape dominated by huge ancient Elm trees. After Dutch Elm disease and the felling of all of these trees, all that remained were the saplings, which grew for a few years and then died. The appearance of Tewin without its beautiful Elm trees changed completely. The Parish Council asked the Tewin Society to provide a Parish Tree Warden whose role would involve the planting of trees and monitoring of their health and growth.

Margaret Knight took on that role. She ran a project that involved the planting of saplings which are now fully grown trees enhancing the roadside landscape virtually everywhere in Tewin and the Mimram valley. A great number of trees have been planted in the village due to her organising the weekend parties. So much of the beauty of Tewin is due to the tree planting scheme which she organised over many years from the 1970s. She was also responsible for the planting of many bulbs which we enjoy every spring. Another venture in which she was closely involved was the planting of the Hundred Year Wood in 1995. Her aim has always been the conservation of the environment and the care and beauty of Tewin. She has excelled in this and her efforts have resulted in a truly spectacular achievement.

Margaret has received the award at home for the time being as she was not well enough to attend the THACS AGM but she sent a message to say that she would like to accept the award on behalf of all those who helped her with this project over the years. She will come to officially accept the award at the THACS Spring Show.