Current President (2025 - 2026)
Hazel Graves
Since retirement Hazel has been able to throw herself wholeheartedly into her interest in the natural environment, something which has been important all her life but of necessity on the backburner whilst following full-time careers interspersed with parenting duties.
Hazel has had two main careers. Initially she trained as a Medical Research Technician, specialising in Immunology and Pharmacology, gaining an HNC in Applied Biology, and worked in research labs at the Clinical Research Centre at Northwick Park Hospital Harrow, at Warwick University Biological Sciences Department and at Fisons Pharmaceuticals Loughborough.
Following a period as a stay-at-home Mum, Hazel trained for a new career in Special Needs Education, specifically in supporting visually impaired youngsters in mainstream schools through the County’s Education System. This meant developing braille expertise and included classroom support and provision of materials across the range of GCSE and A Level syllabuses in the medium of braille and tactile diagrams. Hazel also trained others in these methods across the County.
When planning retirement Hazel attended courses at the University of Leicester Botanic Gardens to gain qualifications and develop expertise as a Plant Surveyor of British wild plants. This enabled her to volunteer for Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust surveying grasslands, woodlands and hedges mostly in Nature Reserves and associated lands in Charnwood Forest and for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland surveying 2 km by 2 km squares in North-West Leicestershire across all accessible habitats. Knowing which plants are present in an environment is the basis for making good decisions about future management. Other activities have included helping to maintain the County Council’s Herbarium at the Collections Resources Centre at Barrow upon Soar, managing scrub clearance at Charnwood Lodge, bird and butterfly transects and being Chairman for lengthy periods of both Loughborough Naturalists’ Club and the Natural History Section of the Lit and Phil.
Hazel was born in the village of Montacute in Somerset and after A Levels at Yeovil Hight School, enrolled briefly at Bedford College London University where she met her husband Richard, who is now retired from a career in Social Housing. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren. Both Richard and Hazel have been members of the Leicester Lit & Phil for many years reflecting their broad interests. They both enjoy travelling and visiting places of historical, archaeological, cultural, musical and linguistic interest as well as regular trips to study the natural history of other countries.
Past Presidents
Here is a list of past presidents in reverse date order:
2024 - 25: Mr Nigel Siesage
2023 - 24: Mr Michael Taylor
2022-23: Professor Sir Kent Woods
2021-22: Dr Bridget Towle
2019-20: Mrs Gillian Johnston
2018-19: Professor Nigel Wood
2017-18: Professor Sir Kent Woods
2016-17: Prof Alison Yarrington
2015-16: Mrs Joan Beeson
2014-15: Mrs Ann Fuchs
2013-14: Mr Michael Taylor
2012-13: Mr Kanti Chhapi DipArch
2011-12: Prof John Fothergill
2010-11: Prof Martin Stannard
2009-10: Mrs KJ Humphreys MA
2008-09: Mr Richard Gill MA
2007-08: Mrs Alwyne Dean BA
2006-07: Mr B D Beeson
2005-06: Dr Michael G F Crowe MA MB B Chir FRCGP
2004-05: Mr Davinder PS Sandhu MB BS MD FRCS (Ed Urol) FRCS (Eng & Glas)
2003-04: Mr.Michael Kirk OBE FCA
2002-03: Dr David Bethel CBE LLD D Litt D ED
2001-02: Canon Michael Wilson MA MBA
2000-01: Mrs Hilary A E Lewis JP MA
1999-2000: Richard, Lord Attenborough CBE
1998-99: Mr John Martin BSc AMA
1997-98: Grant Pitches MA ARIBA
1996-97: Professor John H Holloway BSc PhD DSc C Chem FRSC
1995-96: Ormond K Smyth JP MA MIPR
1994-95: The Venerable Thomas Hughie Jones MA BD LL M
1993-94: John Eagle Higginbotham MA
1992-93: M H Bailey MA
1991-92: John Florance BA PhD
1990-91: Edmund Kendall Clark OBE BSc
1989-90: Peter Henry Andrews Sneath FRS MA MD MRCS LRCP
1988-89: David Geoffrey Lewis MA MD B Chir FFARCS
1987-88: M Aftab Khan BSc PhD FGS FRAS
1986-87: Archibald F Orton, BA
1985-86: Leonard Lloyd-Smith JP Dip Arch FRIBA
1984-85: M A Baatz MA FSA
1983-84: Mrs R R Williams FRGS
1982-83: Dr Trevor David Ford, BSc PhD FGS
1981-82.: Patrick John Boylan Esq B Sc FGS FMA MBIM
1980-81: F Ivan Tarratt Esq TD FGA
1979-80: B A Fisher MA L-es-L PhD
1978-79: Mrs Jennie B Cameron BEM
1977-78: Rev Canon Dudley William Gundry BD MTh
1976-77: Conal P Alexander MB BS FRCP
1975-76: Miss K M Stanton JP MA
1974-75: Professor P C Sylvester Bradley B Sc FRGS
1973-74: Howard N T Staunton MA
1972-73: L C Hamer Esq
1971-72: The Very Reverend John Chester Hughes MA
1970-71: E J F Fortune
1969-70: Dr E Thomas B Sc
1968-69: Mrs F Russell LRAM
1967-68: Dr Maurice L Millard MB ChB
1966-67: R Paine BA
1965-66: Arthur R Humphreys MA AM
1964-65: Rev Arthur H Kirkby MA BD PhD
1963-64: Lt Col J B Potter TD
1962-63.: R M Evans
1961-62: J N Pickard JP BA
1960-61: Miss N Waddington BA
1959-60: Trevor A Walden FMA
1958-59: H Holmes
1957-58: Clement C Ogden FRIBA
1956-57: E Tyler
1955-56: C Gimson
1954-55: Richard L Ager MA
1953-54: J Milne
1952-53: Arthur E L Vial FRPS
1951-52: K Holmes OBE ARCA
1950-51: C R Frears MA JP
1949-50: Reverend H A Jones BSc
1948-49: Selwyn E Tanner MD
1947-48: H A Buckler
1946-47: George Tarratt
1939-46: Frederick L Attenborough
1938-39: Reverend A S Hurn MA D Litt
1937-38: P W Bryan BSc PhD
1936-37: A L Macleod/Mcleod MA MB
1935-36: Charles John Bond CMG FRCS
1934-35: Colin D B Ellis MC MA
1933-34: Neville I Spriggs MD FRCS
1932-33: H Percy Gee, JP
1931-32: E Lewis Lilley, MB BS FRCS
1930-31: Waller K Bedingfield FRIBA
1929-30: Thomas Kingdom MA
1928-29: Charles Squire
1927-28: William Keay FRIBA FSI M Inst C E
1926-27: Arthur Thomas Kerslake OBE BA
1925-26: Rev’d Canon J H Jacques MA
1924-25: Robert F Rattray MA PhD
1923-24: Miss Margaret Gimson
1922-23: E E Lowe B Sc
1921-22: Robert Wallace Henry MD
1920-21: Harry Hardy Peach
1919-20: Benjamin J Fletcher
1918-19: John Alfred Hopps
1917-18: Charles Killick Millard MD D Sc
1916-17: Bernard Ellis
1915-16: George Cresswell Turner FLS
1914-15: William Arthur Evans
1913-14: Agnes Archer Evans (Mrs William Evans) (née Kilgour)
1912-13: Astley Vavsour Clarke BA MD Catab
1911-12: Frederick Barnes Lott MA
1910-11: Rev Walte r Godfrey Whittingham MA
1909-10: William Alport Brockington MA
1908-09: Rev T W Hodge MA
1907-08: George Cooper Franklin LLD FRCS
1906-07: Herbert Ellis
1905-06: Samuel Perkins Pick FRIBA
1904-05: Frederick William Bennett MD BSc
1903-04: Reginald Pratt, MD
1902-03: Rev J Hilton Molesworth MA
1901-02: Charles John Bond
1900-91: Josiah Mentor Gimson
1899-1900: Rev Canon Samuel Johnson Woodhouse Sanders LL D
1898-99: Alfred Colson M Inst C E
1897-98: Reverend Henry Gow BA
1896-97: Rev Arthur Medland Rendall MA
1895-96: William Simpson, Esq
1894-95: Rev Canon Stocks MA
1893-94: Charles James Billson MA
1892-93: Rev Peter Taylor Forsyth MA
1891-92: Robert Harvey LL B
1889-90: John Dennis Paul FGS
1888-89: Rev Ambrose Pudsey Dawson MA
1887-88: Alfred Henry Paget
1886-87: Rev John Page Hopps
1885-86: Reverend James Went MA
1883-84: Reverend E Atkins B Sc
1881-82: Rev Hugh John Fortescue MA
1880-81: Rev Joseph Wood
1879-80: Charles Packe FLS
1878-79: Alderman George Stevenson
1877-78: Rev Lewis M Clayton MA
1876-77: Rev Alexander Mackennal BA
1875-76: Reverend Leonard Addison BA
1890-91: 1874-75
1873-74: Rev John F Halford MA
1872-73: Reverend Nathaniel Haycroft DD
1871-72: Reverend William Romanis MA
1870-71: Reverend Robert Harley FRS FRAS
1869-70: Reverend John Spittal MA
: 1868-69
1867-68: John Buck MRCS
1866-67: Reverend Johnson Barker LL B
1865-66: Rev David James Vaughan MA
1864-65: George Barton Franklin
1863-64: Rev John Noble Bennie LL B
1862-63: Rev Charles Clement Coe
1861-62: Richard Luck
1860-61: Rev John Owen Picton
: 1859-60
1857-58: John Barclay MD
1856-57: Rev William Williamson
1855-56: Mons Charles Camille Caillard
1854-55, 1882-83: William Napier Reeve FSA
1852-53: Dr Joshua Harrison Stallard
1849-50: William Briggs (Biggs)
1847-48, 1848-49: Colin Campbell Macaulay
1846-47, 1853-54, 1858-59: James Francis Hollings
1843/46, 1851/52: Rev C Berry
1842-43: Thomas Smith
1840-42: John Riley (Ryley)
1839-40: The Reverend, The Honourable H D Erskine
1835-6,1838-39, 1844-45,1850-51, 1884-85 (Acting Chairman): George Shaw, MD