RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Allan Dawson

Allan cared passionately about Bempton Cliffs. He was a cornerstone of everything that happened on this wonderful RSPB nature reserve. He was part of the place. His first official volunteering record was on 19 Feb 2006. Allan said that he first volunteered at Bempton Cliffs to say ‘thank you’ for all the years of enjoyment he had received as a member of the East Yorkshire RSPB Local Group. Allan would travel to Bempton Cliffs for five or even six days a week on most weeks of the year. No job was too difficult nor too physically demanding. One minute he was fixing a fence, the next, filling and cleaning the bird feeders, mowing and strimming the grass and, litter picking – how many tons of litter must Allan have cleared and how many visitor’s hats must he have rescued from beyond the clifftop viewpoint fences! The first thing Allan would do in a morning when his manager arrived at the reserve, was to tell them what he was going to do! You never had to manage Allan as he usually knew what needed to be done, and just got on with it! If the reserve didn’t have the tool he needed to do the job, he would just go out and buy one. If he couldn’t buy one, he would make one. Allan wasn’t just about practical jobs as he loved meeting and inspiring people. He led guided walks by the dozen and met thousands of visitors on the viewpoints. Here he would regale them with his well-researched insights and a wealth of stories about his beloved seabirds. A passion reflected in his commitment to his seabird monitoring plots. Not for Allan the glamour of the ever popular Puffins, Gannets or Kittiwakes rather, he chose to monitor the much maligned, and sadly declining, Herring Gulls. Each year, Allan and Glenis, his beloved wife and best friend, would carefully observe and record the breeding success of over 50 pairs of Herring Gull. Allan also recognised Bempton’s remarkable social history. He searched-out tales of the local egg collectors, the ‘climmers, who worked the perilous cliffs, harvesting seabird eggs for over a century and of the adventures of the RAF Bempton squadron members who were based at RAF Bempton. He probably knew the site better than anyone. It is little wonder that the unmistakeable sight of Alan, with his distinctive gait and ‘plumberesque’ blue boiler suit would reassure us that the reserve was in safe hands. For years, Allan was also a member of a wonderful band of people who volunteered for the East Yorkshire Local RSPB Group and RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve team, in running the ever popular ‘RSPB Puffin and Gannet Cruises’. Sailing from Bridlington harbour aboard the wonderful ‘Yorkshire Belle’ – Allan enabled thousands of visitors to experience a unique perspective of those magnificent chalk cliffs and their extraordinary seabirds - magical days. As if his passion for Bempton Cliffs wasn’t enough, for a few weeks in each of 2012-2014, he and Glenis were also residential volunteers on Coquet Island, a wonderful seabird colony on the Northumberland coast, which at the time was England’s only Roseate Tern colony. Remarkably, Allan was also a pin badge box minder in the Hornsea area from 2015-2022. Such was his dedication that even when he was unable to drive Glenis would take him so that he could personally collect the boxes. It was only fitting that, in 2015, Allan was awarded the RSPB’s President’s Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the RSPB and bird conservation. An award received by only a handful of volunteers across the UK. His last recorded hours at Bempton were on 30 September, 2022, volunteering on the viewpoints. Allan may have volunteered to say ‘thank-you’ to the RSPB, but it is now our turn to remember Allan and say thank you. His commitment and dedication were extraordinary. With Glenis, he became part of the fabric, the very heart of RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Allan cannot be replaced. Allan, you are with us. Keith Clarkson, Trevor Charlton and David Aitken