Peter had been a trustee and chair of the charity’s Forestry Advisory Group for the past four years and made an exceptional contribution to the stewardship of Gravetye’s woodlands. Drawing on a lifetime of experience in forestry and the timber industry, he helped ensure that the Charity developed a forestry strategy fit for the future – one focused on increasing the resilience of our woodlands, enhancing biodiversity and securing their long-term health in the face of a changing climate.
Peter was equally determined that strategy should lead to practical action. Under his chairmanship, the Charity strengthened the mechanisms, relationships and forestry partnerships needed to deliver it. Both the strategy itself and its implementation advanced significantly during his tenure, leaving Gravetye much better placed to care for its woodlands for generations to come.
Peter brought extraordinary experience to this work. He spent 44 years with James Latham PLC, joining the family business in 1973 as the seventh generation of the Latham family to do so, and serving as Chairman from 2006 to 2017. He subsequently played a leading role in advancing sustainable forestry internationally, including ten years on the Board of PEFC International and five years as its Chair.
He was internationally recognised for his contribution to sustainable forest management and for the wisdom, diplomacy and ability to bring people together that characterised his leadership. His wider contribution to the sector included serving as a Forestry Commissioner in England and in a number of other senior forestry and timber roles. In 2012, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his services to the wood industry.
Those achievements, however, only tell part of the story. Peter will be remembered by everyone at Gravetye as an exceptionally kind, thoughtful and generous man. He shared his immense experience with great gentleness and without self-importance, always finding time to talk, listen and offer advice. Calm and considered, but also energetic and endlessly interested in the world around him, he was a great pleasure to work with and a much-valued friend and colleague.
Peter loved the outdoors, sport and music and approached life with energy, curiosity and courage. Even during his final illness, those close to him were struck by his determination not to be afraid.
Peter’s passing is a great loss to the Charity and to the many people and organisations whose lives and work he influenced. His contribution to Gravetye will endure in the woodlands he helped us to protect and strengthen, and in the approach to their stewardship that he did so much to establish.
