Monday 8th April 2024
Colin French’s widow, Jenny (nee Gilling) has sent us the following obituary:
Colin French passed away at his home in Warminster on 27th March 2024, aged 75. He had spent many years in Warminster, where he dedicated so much of his own time devising and bringing community projects to fruition.
Born in Fulham, London, on 23rd September 1948, his first experience of working with plants was in Battersea Park and this set one of the themes in his life – he worked in the fruit nursery at Cannington College in Somerset, attended a horticultural course at Radstock College and then returned to Cannington to continue his training.
He then spent time in Wales, where he worked at Plas Y Brenin, near Snowdon, before going afield to a garden on the Isle of Skye.
He had a great love of alpines, which he propagated and sold at markets in Bath and Wells.
It was while living in Bath that another of Colin’s themes really developed – cycling. He had friends who were repairing bicycles for a charity and sending them out to Nicaragua.
Colin cycled across Poland in 1987 and that was one of many future travels on two wheels throughout Europe, either alone or with several friends.
The Bristol to Bath cycle route established by Sustrans was much used by Colin, and he became a warden for the Warminster Route 24 cycleway.
It was in 2004 that he moved to Warminster with his then partner Jennie Gilling, a fellow gardener who is a cyanotype artist and an occasional papermaker. Colin continued to design and build several private gardens both local to the Warminster area and back in Bath.
In his spare time he cycled in the Wylye Valley and up on to the Great Ridge Wood. Colin and Jennie would put bikes in their camper van and head off to explore Dorset and also Wales. Colin had the skills to build a bike and anyone could call on him to fix a problem. He was really happy helping people to “get on their bikes”.
It was in a pub, writing on the back of an envelope, while enjoying a pint, that the germination of a weekend cycling festival was born, and in 2009 the first Warminster Wobble took place in the Lake Pleasure Grounds – a quirky event comprising bike-related activities in the park on a Saturday, with a variety of rides out for all ages on the Sunday. The Warminster Wobble continued for 11 years. These weekends included Colin introducing cycle stunt teams who wowed the Warminster audience of locals and visitors.
Based on his horticultural background, the next project to take off, thanks to Colin, was at Yeates Field (the National Trust owned meadow) adjacent Boreham Road, not far from Colin and Jennie’s home at St. John’s Road. In 2013 the meadow was enhanced by the planting of an orchard. Within ten years, more than 70 special Wiltshire varieties including Bramleys and Red Love apples, along with pear trees and two cherries planted for the Queen have become established. The meadow and its orchard is now a green space to be enjoyed by everyone.
A social aspect of the Warminster Community Orchard, as it is now known, has been the annual juicing day, which often involved Colin collecting fruit from gardens to bulk out the orchard’s crop. Colin wanted people to experience what fresh apple juice really tasted like.
Another feature has been the traditional winter wassail, held every January, blessing the trees for a productive year. At the 2024 wassail the assembled wassailers raised their glasses of cider to Colin, who at that time, was ill and unable to come along.
After living together for 30 years Colin (aged 74) and Jennie (67) tied the knot at Trowbridge Registry Office at County Hall, on Valentine’s Day (14th February), 2023. They had met while maintaining private gardens in Bath, where they lived for 15 years. They opted for a civil partnership which they said fitted their simple outlook perfectly, and were pleased that the sun shone on the romantic day.
Five years ago, Colin’s son Tello moved with his young family to Warminster, and Colin was able to enjoy being “gramps” with his grandsons and together they all became involved with various events.
But Colin had one more project to make happen. Having failed before Covid to find a suitable venue for a community shed, an opportunity arose in 2023 thanks to the Warminster Action Group who are based at Wilson And Kennard’s Yard, on the south side of the Market Place, Warminster. Part of their premises were offered for use as a community shed and Colin championed this.
In the summer months of 2023 Colin found the energy to source and collect any number of tools and fittings to equip the shed. With a team of helpers a room was transformed into an impressive space where people can meet and make projects happen while the kettle is on and tea brewing. It is sad that Colin did not live long enough to see for himself the finished workshop being fully used as intended.
The one thing that many people mention in relation to Colin was his sense of community. Here are some quotes by people who knew him:
“He was a force for good.”
“A man so full of life, full of projects, doing the right thing and living the right way.”
“A man of the soil, with a gift for creating beautiful places.”
Colin is survived by his wife Jennie, his son Tello, his daughter-in-law Rachel, and grandsons Ely and Lenny French.
Some events are to be organised by Colin’s family to celebrate his life. Anyone wishing to attend these is asked to get in touch with Jennie by emailing jenpapers@blueyonder.co.uk (please mention your connection with Colin when you email).
