Last night’s An Evening with Professor Patricia Wiltshire proved to be every bit the sell‑out success that the poster promised.
The world‑renowned forensic ecologist — and proud Cefn Fforest girl — delivered a gripping ninety‑minute talk that took the audience deep into the extraordinary world of forensic ecology, echoing the remarkable career outlined in her event listing. With clarity, warmth, and a touch of humour, she guided attendees through the science behind her work, illustrating her explanations with striking and often gruesome crime‑scene images that left the hall utterly captivated, including the investigations into Milly Dowler and the Soham murders.
The Q&A that followed was just as lively, with Professor Wiltshire generously fielding questions about the high‑profile cases she has helped solve. What made the evening especially meaningful was her decision to give her time completely free of charge to support the ongoing restoration of the very building tied to her roots. The atmosphere in the hall was one of pride, fascination, and deep appreciation — a community gathered not only to hear an extraordinary story, but to support the future of their “Stute,” inspired by one of their own.
The event caught us all off guard by selling out just a few hours of going on sale and raised £1,375 for the ongoing refurbishment of our beloved Stute.
Patricia Wiltshire obtained a first-class honours degree from King’s College London (where she later became a lecturer).
She was a Merchant Taylor’s Scholar, and won three King’s College prizes and one University of London prize at her graduation. Her Ph.D. was obtained at the University of Aberdeen.
She has been awarded two honorary Doctor of Science degrees, one of them from the University of South Wales.
She is as a Fellow of the Chartered Society for Forensic Science, Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Fellow of the Linnean Society, and a member of the British Academy of Forensic Science. Her special subjects were, and are, ecology, botany, and soil science (with special emphasis on microbiology).
Her expertise was recognised by a personal invitation to small, private lunch party by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2016 and Prince Philip talked so much she could hardly eat her lunch.
After graduating, she has had over fifty years in research and teaching at King’s College, University College London, and Birkbeck. Later, she was an honorary research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, and Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, and the University of Gloucestershire.
She is a visiting professor at the University of Southampton, and visiting professor at the Agricultural University of Jilin, China. She is also on the editorial boards of two important forensic journals.
She developed the new disciplines of Forensic Ecology and Palynology from scratch while at University College and later set up a Master Course there.
She has worked on cases in every police force in England as well as in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland, New Zealand, and Holland.
She is an experienced expert witness for both Prosecution and Defence. She has given evidence in many Crown Courts of England and Wales and Ireland, and the High Court in Scotland. She has worked on over 300 criminal cases, many of them very high profile.
She is still lecturing, teaching, and publishing scientific papers. She has written two books based on forensic science and has contributed to many text books.
She is an experienced broadcaster and has appeared on radio and TV many times. She was Chairman of Mole Valley District Council in 2024 and is still and Independent local councillor in Surrey.
