A tribute to the late Paul Diviani

By Tim Youngs

Posted 30th January 2023

The Blackdown Hills AONB staff and Partnership have paid their respects following the sad news about Paul’s death in January.

Paul has had a long engagement with the Blackdown Hills, which he greatly cherished and took every opportunity to promote and celebrate.

Some highlights of Paul’s work with the Blackdown Hills includes:

being a member of the Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership Management Group for over 20 years
was Chair of the Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership from September 2005 to 2020
led the AONB Partnership in securing millions of EU funding for rural development which was ground breaking the first time
helped to deliver and promote many successful projects through the Leader+ programmes Local Products Strategy and Making it Local with total funding, for all projects in excess of £10 million
was a voice for the AONB on many regional and national bodies

The current Chair of the Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership, Cllr Bob Nelson commented, ‘Paul was the most effective County Councillor I have ever encountered in forty years engagement with Local Authorities. As I observed him chair the AONB in my first years of membership, I learnt a lot from his ‘light touch’ but subtle guidance of the process. His stewardship of the AONB, his contacts and his dedication to the community will be much missed.’

The current Manager of the Blackdown Hills AONB, Tim Youngs, added, ‘Paul will be greatly missed and was a strong advocate and voice for the Blackdown Hills over many years. As chair of the AONB, Paul never missed an opportunity to promote the Blackdown Hills area and persuade others of its great value, using this enthusiasm to secure significant funding support for vital work in the area’s rural communities, especially through the Making it Local programme.’

Some images that capture some of Paul’s achievements:

Supported the AONB team at many Honiton Shows