Bereavment notice from the UK

We are sad to  report the death yesterday evening of Jim Pearce who was in his late 80s.

Jim Pearce ‘rescued’ the Daffodil Society sixty years ago when he took over as secretary, when it had little money and a dwindling membership. He subsequently became its President. Jim judged at Harrogate Spring Show for over 40 years.

His association with the RHS Daffodil and Tulip Committee was also of long duration, from 1976 to 2004.. He was a Vice Chairman of the Committee from 1984 to 2002 and chaired the Daffodil and Tulip Trials Sub Committee for many years. Jim was also Honorary Editor of the Daffodil and Tulip Yearbook from 1979 to 1990-91. It was Jim along with Tony Noton who rescued many of the significant daffodils bred by Freddy Board after his death. Jim was instrumental in recruiting several members of the then Narcissus and Tulip Committee. As a professional horticulturalist, Jim was a much sought after speaker on a wide range of topics by local horticultural societies in East Anglia. Relatively late in life he designed and largely created from open fields the lakes and gardens at Little Bentley Hall, described by one authority as the finest garden in Essex after Hyde Hall. Sadly, the Peter Barr Memorial Cup (1984) was the only award that Jim received from the RHS.

The date of the funeral has not yet been fixed, but further details will be made available on the Daffodil Society and Daffodil Society Northern Group websites. Jim’s wife Marion is in her 90s and has no access to the internet, but anyone can send their condolences via me at  title=

James Akers