>

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arboricultural Association.

Share this story

Topics

#ARBatwork #ArbMatters #EmbraceEquity #IWD2023 #PledgeLessPlastic #WomenInArb #WomenInTrees & 12 Faces of Arb 1987 storm 2 Rope 2018 2024 30 Under 30 3ATC 3ATC UK Open 50th annual 60 years AA AA award AA Awards Aboricultural Association abstracts Accident accreditation Addiction advice AFAG AFL aftercare AGM Agrilus Biguttatus AI aid air quality Alert Alex Kirkley All Party Parliamentary Group on Horticulture amenity Amenity Conference Anatomy Ancient Tree Forum Annual Awards Anthropology APF APF 2020 APF 2022 APHA app APPGHG application Appointment apprentice apprenticeship Apprenticeships Approved Approved Contractor Approved Contractors ARB ARB Approved Contractor ARB Approved Contractors ARB at work ARB Magazine ARB Salaries ARB Show arb training ARB Worker Zone ArbAC ARBatwork ArbCamp Arbor Day Arboretum Arboricultural Association Arboricultural Journal Arboricultural Student Arboriculture arborists Arbsafe Artificial Intelligence Ash Ash Archive ash dieback Asian Hornet Assessments Assessors at atf ATO Australia Autumn Review award Awards Barcham Trees Bark Beetle Bartlett Bartlett Tree Experts bats Bats & Trees beetle Benjamin Zephaniah Best Student Best Student Award beyond ism Bill Matthews biochar biodiversity Biodiversity Net Gain biomechanical biosecurity Birmingham TreePeople BNG Book Prize Book Shop Booking Books Bookshop boundaries branch Branches brand Brexit BS3857 bs5837 BSI Budgeting Tool bursary business Butterflies Call for Abrstacts Call for Abstracts Call for papers Campout Canker stain of plane Canopy Climbing Collective carbon career careers Cavanagh CAVAT CCS Cellular Confinement Cellular Confinement Systems CEnv CEO Ceratocystis Ceratocystis platani chainsaw Chair chalara charity Charles charter Charter for Trees Chartered Environmentalist chelsea Chelsea Flower Show City & Guilds Claus Mattheck climate climate change climber climbing code Cofor Colleges committees Community Tree Nurseries competition competiton conference Conference India Confor conifers conservation Consultant consultation Continuous Professional Development Contractor Contractor Focus Contractors Cornwall Cornwall Branch Coronation Coronavirus Coroner Council Countryside Countryside Code Countryside Stewardship Course for beginners COVID-19 CPD cross industry news Crown & Canopy Cryphonectria parasitica Cumbria DART Date for your diary David Lonsdale deadwood death debate Debt defra deployment Design Devon Director disease diversity DMM document donate dothistroma Douglas Fir downloads Dr David Lonsdale draft Drought Dutch elm DWP EAC East Anglia ecology Economic Report economy Ecotricity education EFUF e-Learning Election elections Electricity Elm yellows Emerald Ash Borer England England Tree Action Plan England Tree Strategy English Elm environment Environment Act 2021 environmental EPF Equality equipment Equipment Theft Europe European Arboricultural Council European Forum on Urban Forestry European standards European Wood Pastures EUSTAFOR Event exeter Exhibition Exhibitors Fall from Height Fatal Fatality felling Fellow Fellow Members Fera Field Trip Finance Fine firewood First Aid FISA flood flooding for Forest Research forestry Forestry Commission Forestry England forests freelancers FSC Fund4Trees funding fundraiser fungal fungi Future Flora Futurebuild gardening GDPR GenAI General Election Geocells Gold Medal Gov.uk government grant grants Grapple Saws Green Brexit Green Infrastructure Green Infratructure Green Recovery Green Up Greneda relief Guarantee guidance Guidance Note Guidance Note 2 guide guides Hazard Tree Health heart-rot Heatwave Hedgerow hedges height Helliwell Help Henry Girling Henry Kuppen History HMRC HOMED Homeworking Honey Brothers Honey Fungus honours Horse Chestnut HortAid horticulture horticulturists HortWeek housing HRH HRH Prince Charles HS2 HSE HTA ICF ICoP identification Immigration import industry Industry Code of Practice industry skills Infographic InfraGreen Initiatives Inspiration Institute of Charterd Foresters Insurance Intermediate Tree Inspection International Urban Forestry Congress International Women’s Day International Year of Plant Health invertebrates Investigating Tree Archaeology Conference IPAF Ips Ips typographus Irma irrigation ISA iso ITCC i-Tree IUFC IWD21 Jo Hedger Job Job Centre Plus job opportunity Jobcentre Plus jobs judgement JustGiving Karabiner Keith Sacre Kent Kew King’s Award for Enterprise Kit Knot-Tying competition land-based Landsaping Landscape Institute Landscape Recovery Scheme Landscape Show landscaping Lantra law Leaf Minor Lectures legal legislation Letters Liability licence Local Authority Treescapes Fund London longevity LTOA Lynne Boddy Magazine Malawi Managegement Plan manifesto maple Mayor of London MBE Melbourne Member Benefit Member Survey Membership Mental Health mentor MEWPs Midlands Morphophysiology moth' motion Moulton College Myerscough NASA National Geographic National Hedgerow Week National Tree Safety Group National Tree Week NATO Natural England NatureScot Netherlands New Year’s Honours News NHS nominations Northern Northumberland Notice notification NTIS NTOA NTOC NTSG Nurseries nursery trees oak 'oak Oak Processionary Moth Oak-boring Beetle obituary Observatree occupation of OHRG On-Demand online opm Padua Papua parks parliament Past Awards Past Chairs Perennial Pest Alert pests Pests & Diseases Pests and Diseases Petersfield petition Petzl photo Phytophthora Phytophthora pluvialis Pine Processionary Moth plan planning Planning Law Plant Health Plant Healthy planting Plantsman Plantsmans Choice Pledge Plumpton College policy poll Poster Power PPE practice Preston Twins Prince Charles Prince of Wales processionary Product Recall Professional Members prosecution Protect and Survive protected tree protection PUWER Qualifications Queen’s 70th Jubilee Questionnaire Quotatis ramorum RC Recruitment Red Diesel reference Reg Harris Registered Registered Consultant Registered Consultants Rehab Rememberance Day renewal REnvP Report Rescue research Research grant Resilience response results Retirement retrenchment review RFS rhs RHS Chelsea Flower Show Ride for Research Ride4Research rigging Rodney Helliwell rogue tree surgeons Royal Forestry Society RSFS Safe Working Practice Safety Safety Bulletin Safety Bulletins Safety Guides Safety Notice Saftey Salaries Sale school science Scotland Scotland Branch Scottish Branch SDG Accord security Seed Gathering Season Seminar seminars Share Sheffield Show Sierra Leone Site Guidance skills skills survey SocEnv Social Benefits of Trees soil soils Sooty Bark South East South East Branch South West Speaker spotlight SRT SRWP staff Standards statement Stationary Rope Stationary Rope Technique statutory STIHL Stonehouse Storm strategy student Student Book Prize Student Conference Study Trip Sub-contractors Succession Successsion Supporter survey Sustainable Soils Alliance Sweet Chestnut sweet chestnut blight Sycamore Gap symposium T Level T Levels Tatarian maple TDAG Technical technical guide Technical Guides technical officer Technical Officers Technical Team Technician Members Technology Ted Green Telecommunications tender TG3 Thames & Chiltern The Arboricultural Association The Forestry and Woodlands Advisory Committees The Plantsman’s Choice The Queen’s Green Canopy The Woodland Trust Thinking Arbs Thinking Arbs Day Timbersports Tony Kirkham Tools top-handled chainsaws,Elcoat, TPBE4 TPO Trading Standards trailblazer training transport Tree Tree Care Tree Champion Tree Council Tree Fayre tree felling Tree Health Tree Health Week Tree Inspection Tree Life tree loss tree management Tree of the year Tree Officer Tree officers tree pathogen tree planning Tree Planting Tree Production Innovation Fund Tree Protection tree register Tree Risk Tree Shears tree species Tree Supply Tree Surgeon Tree Surgeons Tree Week Tree Work at Height Tree Workers Zone TreeAlert Treeconomics tree-felling TreeRadar trees trees' Trees & Society Trees & Sociey Trees and Society Trees and the Law Trees for Cities Trees, People and the Built Environment trust' trustee Trustees TrustMark Two Rope two-rope typographus UAG Uitlity UK favourite UK&ITCC ukas Ukraine UKWAS urban urban forest Urban Forestry Urban Tree Challenge Urban Tree Challenge Fund Urban Tree Cover Urban Tree Diversity Urban Tree World Cup urban trees UTD4 Utility Approved Contractors Utility Arboriculture Group UTWC vacancy Vanuatu VETcert veteran trees video Videos Virtual ARB Show volunteer voting VTA WAC Wales Wales Branch Warning Watering Watering Campaign watering solutions Watering Young Trees Webinar webinars website Wednesday Webinars Wellbeing Western Westonbirt Wharton White Paper Whitebeam WIA Witley Women Women in Arb women in arboriculture Womens Arb Camp woodland Woodland Carbon Code Woodland Carbon Guarantee woodland trust woods Work Work at Height Workshops World Environment Day World Fungi Day Xylella young Young Arboricultural Professional Young Arboricultural Professional Award Young Arboricultural Professional of the Year young arborists Young People’s Breakfast Event Young Tree Aftercare Youth Programme zoo

Simon Herbert

Author:  Ant Harley
  13/06/2024
Last Updated:  13/06/2024

I have the sad duty of announcing the passing of Simon James Herbert, aged 52, on 29th January 2024.

Simon Herbert

Simon Herbert

Simon was born on 12th July 1971 in Cuckfield to Margaret and Trevor and has one sister, Amanda. He had several jobs before trees including at Do it All, in a bicycle shop and on building sites before moving into sales roles including at Oakley – and thanks to this he had a lovely collection of sunglasses!

His last job prior to entering arboriculture was as a sales person for classic car parts. Apparently, one day he was peering from the window of his office, intrigued by watching a tree team working outside. When the opportunity arose, he took redundancy and enrolled on an arboricultural course at Shuttleworth College in 2006.

This proved to be a pivotal choice as it was here that we met, but more importantly he met Jess, and they became a couple in 2007. Simon went on to work as a contractor in various arboricultural companies and later was encouraged to become an instructor and NPTC Assessor at various private training companies and arboricultural colleges including Moulton, Askham Bryan and recently Merrist Wood.

Simon and Jess were very active in the climbing competition scene – travelling to America and Switzerland to name just two of many locations. Simon used those connections to help many students travel the world. Simon and Jess also enjoyed providing tree climbing experiences in several festival locations, introducing the fun of tree climbing to the wider public.

Simon and Jess got married on 29th October 2011 and went on to have a daughter, Willow, in 2015 and a son, Oaken, in 2020. Sadly, Oaken only lived for two days but remains a much loved and missed family member. He and Simon will share a final resting place.

Other important family members include Tili and Woody, their dogs.

Outside of trees, Simon enjoyed cycling and had recently constructed a road bike from parts he sourced from all over the world. He enjoyed mountain biking and we had many happy trips to Wales and Cannock Chase. Other interests included snowboarding in his earlier life, and music. He had an impressive, eclectic selection of CDs and loved tinkering with cars.

Jess describes him as very practical – turning his hand to various projects.

Chris Cooper Abbs said, ‘I’ve met many people who knew Simon and not one person has ever had a word to say that isn’t positive, whether that be his professionalism, his humour, his hugs, his character or his do-anything-for-anyone attitude.’

Simon’s funeral took place on 29th February at Guildford Crematorium and his impact on so many people’s lives was evidenced by the large number of people who attended (more than 130) with a further 250 watching online. His casket was beautifully hand made from willow by Jess, Willow, other family members and close friends. It also included rope handles from Courant ropes, for whom he was an ambassador.

Simon was a fantastic husband, father and friend and will be greatly missed by all who knew him, his infectious smile, boundless enthusiasm and huge passion for arboriculture.

Ant Harley


This article was taken from Issue 205 Summer 2024 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.