Honouring a Pioneer: A Butterfly Plaque for Dr. Gillian Gandy
Beneath the autumn sunlight at Wandlebury Country Park, friends, colleagues and loved ones gathered to celebrate the life of Dr Gillian Gandy, a pioneer of neonatal medicine whose compassion and research transformed the care of premature babies..
A delicated butterfly plaque now rests in Wandlebury’s Pollinator Garden, a fitting tribute to someone who helped so many fragile lives take flight. Installed as part of Cambridge Past, Present & Future’s commemorative giving scheme, the plaque honours both Dr Gandy’s extraordinary contribution to medicine and her deep connection to Wandlebury, where she spent many peaceful hours.
Each butterfly plaque at Wandlebury symbolises both remembrance and renewal. It’s a way for families and supporters to celebrate the lives of loved ones while helping care for the nature and heritage of this special place. Donations raised through the scheme support CPPF’s conservation work, from planting wildflowers and maintaining meadows to restoring wildlife habitats and caring for pollinators.
As butterflies return each summer, they remind us that remembrance can be part of a living cycle of care. Each plaque helps wildlife to thrive and ensuring that future generations can experience the same beauty and stillness that have inspired so many before.
For CPPF, projects like this are at the heart of what we do. We protect the places that hold meaning for people, places where memory, nature and community come together. The butterfly plaques are a gentle expression of that mission, connecting personal stories with the wider care of Wandlebury’s landscape.
Dr Gandy’s plaque is one of many now brightening the Pollinator Garden. Each one tells a story of love, remembrance and generosity, and together they form a living mosaic of care that helps keep Wandlebury beautiful, season after season.
