The Tisbury Natural History Society was founded in 1981 by the late Lt Col David Swift.
A bequest from Col Swift enabled the Society to set up a capital fund, out of which annual donations are made to the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust and to other local and national appeals, if we judge the cause to be relevant to our own aims. We supported the Woodland Trust's purchase of the ancient Duncliffe Wood, near Shaftesbury and in 2015 Wiltshire Wildlife's appeal to fund the purchase of land adjacent to Coombe Bissett Down.
Members were also involved in the work leading up to the publication of the The Wiltshire Flora in 1993, creating the pond at St John's School in Tisbury and, more recently, the creation of the Parish Wildflower Meadow near the Nadder Centre and the installation of swift nest boxes on The Brewery.
Our aim is to give members the opportunity to learn about the many and diverse aspects of local natural history and indeed also further afield - often, our speakers tell us about their experiences in many different parts of the world, from Indian tigers to Rocky Mountain flora.
As well as talks in the winter months, in the summer we offer our members the opportunity to visit the many Reserves and areas where local flora and fauna can be observed and enjoyed. Some field trips over the past year or so are described on that page of this website.
We also look for opportunities to promote nature conservation in our area - we occasionally comment, for example on local planning matters. or undertake projects to support and encourage wildlife locally.
The annual membership fee is £10, and the fee for guest attendance at talks is £2 per talk.