Hitchin and its surrounding areas are renowned for their community-based events.

So why not take a look at what's going on in the town in our recently revamped What's On section.

To keep you up to date with everything that is going on, we've decided to post a regular 'Event of the Week' article with details of an activity occurring in the local area.

You can list your local events, whether they be business networking meetings, community events, charity fundraisers, shows, films, sports fixtures, quiz nights, virtual markets, pub offers, band rehearsals, or absolutely anything else with you'd to share with our many, many thousands of local readers across Hitchin and North Herts on our What's On page- and it's completely free of charge!

For our latest Nub News What's On event of the week we've selected a special business event taking place in the heart of Hitchin this week - read on for more!

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Hitchin's North Herts Museum has opened its eagerly-awaited Nature in Focus exhibition.

The acclaimed museum on Brand Street in our town is hosting the exhibition that showcases photographs of local wildlife, plant and landscapes taken by the late Brian Sawford.

It will showcase many of the rare and beautiful wildflowers and endangered birds from North Hertfordshire, as well as the everyday natural beauty of animals and plants we have on our doorstep, reminding us of the rich biodiversity of our district.

The exhibition also includes a few specimens from the museum's natural history collection, with a fox, a hare, a black squirrel, a baby roe deer, and a cuckoo.

Councillor Sam Collins, North Herts Council's Executive Member for Enterprise, the Arts and Transport, said: "We are honoured to celebrate the life's work of Brian Sawford who contributed immeasurably to recording and conserving the natural environment in Hertfordshire.

"This beautiful exhibit highlights the incredible wildlife that surrounds us.

"I hope it will inspire a new generation of naturalists to appreciate and conserve our local environment."

Brian's life

Brian was a well-known local naturalist and a gifted photographer, who spent much of his long career working for North Hertfordshire Museum as a Senior Keeper of Natural History at the former Letchworth Museum.

He sadly passed away in 2020 and this exhibition has been put together in his memory by his widow Terri and the Letchworth Naturalists together with museum staff.

Brian contributed greatly to the natural history of Hertfordshire through his talks, guided walks and publications.

These included The Butterflies of Hertfordshire, Wildflower Habitats of Hertfordshire and wildlife of the Letchworth Area, all illustrated with his own photographs.

Brian was also Butterfly Recorder for Hertfordshire, and Vice-recorder for Vascular Flora.

He was the Conservation Adviser for the Hertfordshire branch of Butterfly Conservation, and for many years Chair of the Letchworth Naturalists' Society.

With fellow naturalist Trevor James, Brian co-authored the county's first bio-diversity Action Plan.

Brian worked hard throughout his life to encourage others to take an interest in conserving our natural environment and inspired many local children (and their parents) through his nature club at Letchworth Museum and activities with the Letchworth Watch group.

A keen bird photographer from his teens, Brian's interest in birdwatching was inspired by watching birds nesting near his window when he worked as a young electrical engineer at ICT in Letchworth.

He then began his lifelong habit of recording natural history in field notebooks, some of which you can see in the exhibition.

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To plan your trip to the exhibition, visit the North Herts Museum webpage or call 01462 474554.

The exhibition runs until 2 January 2022.