‘The village has lost it’s greatest champion’

Tree memorial planned for passionate environmentalist ‘He was such a conscientious man and always wanted to help people and work for various causes’

A memorial tree is to be planted in Adisham for a village champion who led a rich and varied life.

Harry Amson, who died in November aged 86, was a passionate artist, environmentalist and conservator in the community for many years.

He campaigned against fracking in Kent, contributed to stopping original expansion plans for Adisham, produced monthly posters, leaflets and newsletters for the village and supported people with alcohol problems.

The tree will be planted near the Holy Innocents Church, but when has not been decided.

Harry was born on February 5, 1930, and spent his teenage years in Liverpool. He studied art at college and produced lots of abstract pieces.

In the early 1950s he moved to London as a young designer to work on graphics for the Festival of Britain.

He lived there for quite some time before moving to Kent in the 1980s, where he used his creative and artistic skills to help with projects in Adisham.

His only child, Georgia, has told how conscientious her father was.

“He was very curious about the world – unusually so I would say,” she said. “He remained interested and engaged in everything about the world.

“He didn’t close down as he got older – he was always interested in campaigning and reading.

“He was such a conscientious man and always wanted to help people and work for various causes.”

Georgia. 29, who now lives in Brighton, says her father loved art, the environment and jazz and told the Gazette he would always play impromptu tunes on the piano.

“To sum him up, I would say he was very kind, enthusiastically caring and very patient,” she said.

A service took place at the village church on Friday, December 9, reflecting Harry’s artistic and musical life.

Vanessa Young commended her friend and says he will be missed very much.

“He was not only a wonderful neighbour, he was also a very good friend who led a fascinating life,” she said.

“I will miss him very much – not only for his skill and talent, but also for his humour and unshakeable positivity.”

As a former member of the parish council, Harry – the Gazette’s village correspondent for many years – also helped design the children’s play equipment in the village and the sports court.

Recalling their memories of Harry, Jim Colthup and Valentine Stevens said: “The village has lost its greatest champion.

“Harry was a good friend with some unusual interests and was an irreplaceable asset to the village. He will be greatly missed by all of us.”

A sale and exhibition of Harry’s artwork will be held at the Holy Innocents Church on April 7, 8 and 9.