A LOVED community figure, who passed away aged 69, will be ‘sorely missed by many’, his colleague said in a touching tribute.

The sudden death of Steve Morton from High Wycombe has left the community in shock.

The keen environmental campaigner and coordinator of Wycombe Friends of the Earth passed away on December 23 2022.

Steve campaigned tirelessly for fairer and greener society, his colleague Jean James from Wycombe Friends of the Earth explained.

Jean said: “Wycombe has lost a valuable member of the community and that gap will be extremely hard to fill.

“It is very clear from the reaction of many individuals and environmental organisations Steve was actively involved in, that he will be sorely missed by a great many people. He was a knowledgeable and passionate environmentalist, coordinator of Wycombe Friends of the Earth since 2014 and very active in Wycombe Fairtrade, Friends of the Wye, Chiltern Rangers, Wycombe Sound, Wycombe Environment Repair Cafe and Refresh Store, Steve Baker Watch, Wycombe Climate Café, Divest Bucks, Compass and Extinction Rebellion amongst others.

“He was reliable, well-liked and respected, self-effacing and generous in time and spirit with a chuckling sense of humour.

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“Succinct but always worth listening to, he was willing to work outside his comfort zone for the benefit of green issues, often ‘rolling up his sleeves’ practically to attend protests, marches, debates and public stalls, speak on radio, clear various tributaries of the river Wye etc. One of the benefits of Steve’s involvement with so many local organisations was his ability to network ideas between them and turn ideas into action.”