The medal winner was announced during Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Annual General Meeting on Thursday 7 November. It is awarded jointly by Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society every two years for an outstanding contribution to the county's natural history.

Anne Edwards has been a committee member of Wymondham Nature Group for 20 years and its Chair for many of these. For the past 18 years, Anne has also organised regular work parties to carry out conservation work at NWT Ashwellthorpe Lower Wood and NWT Hethel Old Thorn, during which time these sites have become bountiful havens for biodiversity.

Anne was able to connect her observations on ash die-back at Ashwellthorpe Lower Wood with her professional expertise as a molecular biologist at John Innes Centre and, in 2015, she received the British Empire Medal for services to the environment and public understanding of science.

At John Innes Anne has been working on a three-year programme to try and get women into science and is a member of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society Council.

The award was presented to Anne by Ambassador of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Nick Acheson, in Ashwellthorpe Wood.

Nick said: "Dr Anne Edwards is a hugely worthy recipient of the Sydney Long Memorial Medal. Through her many years' voluntary work with Wymondham Nature Group and Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society she has helped both document our county's precious wildlife and bring people close to it.

"What's more she has given countless thousands of hours of her time to managing habitat for our wildlife, leading teams of volunteers for many years at Ashwellthorpe Lower Wood and Hethel Old Thorn. I feel sure that Sydney Long himself would endorse Anne as the recipient of this year's medal in his honour."

Chairman of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, Tony Leech, added: "The Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society and Norfolk Wildlife Trust are passionate about protecting and restoring Norfolk's wildlife-rich landscape, to be enjoyed by many generations to come. We do this through conservation work and, crucially, by encouraging and nurturing a passion for Norfolk's nature in everyone. We are delighted to award Anne the Sydney Long medal in recognition of her knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment which have both created bountiful havens for biodiversity in our county and built communities that care deeply for them."

On receiving the medal, Anne Edwards said: "I am hugely honoured to receive this prestigious natural history medal, particularly in the setting of Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Lower Wood, Ashwellthorpe, a veritable cornucopia of biodiversity. A walk in the woods provides pleasure at any time of the year; from the first emergence of cheerful springtime wood anemones and bluebells, through the colourful butterflies and dragonflies of summer and the remarkable fungal array of autumn to the simple stark beauty of winter arboreal skeletons.

"At a time when it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the environmental challenges that we face, an ancient woodland brings calm, inspiration and hope for the future."

The medal is awarded in recognition of Dr Sydney Long, founder of the Norfolk Naturalists Trust in 1926, now the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, who died in 1939.