Tributes pour in for Bury St Edmunds horticulturalist Peter Tunnah who made town international floral attraction and received MBE for his work

Tributes have been paid to a much-loved and respected Bury St Edmunds horticulturalist who ‘brought joy to many thousands’ of people and helped shape the town’s floral landscape.

Peter Tunnah, who died aged 88 on June 21, was initially park superintendent for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, and later worked as parks and landscapes manager for West Suffolk before retiring in 1994.

He was involved in a number of defining projects throughout the town, including the resurrection of Nowton Park, which, with its ‘daffodil avenue,’ was his pride and joy.

During his tenure, he arranged for the planting of more than 100,000 trees, and, in his final year, he was awarded an MBE by then-Prince Charles.

Mr Tunnah was born on October 26, 1934, in Bury, Greater Manchester.

Although he trained as a pattern maker, he chose to follow his passion in horticulture, spending almost two decades at Longford Park in Stretford.

In 1974, he joined St Edmundsbury Borough Council, moving to Suffolk with his wife, Marguerita, and three daughters.

His office was located in the Abbey Gardens, which Mr Tunnah dedicated much of his time to, transforming them into a national attraction.

Representatives from Kew Gardens frequently visited the site to take inspiration from the work of Mr Tunnah and his team.

Mr Tunnah helped oversee the founding of the Bury in Bloom project in 1986, and Eastgate Nursery, which he ran, grew around 30,000 plants a year.

Bury won the England in Bloom competition in 1987, the first year it entered. In 1989, Bury came runner-up in the Entente Florale, Europe’s top horticulture competition.

That same year, the council acquired Nowton Park, which Mr Tunnah helped to regenerate.

As part of this, Mr Tunnah decided the park's pond should be dredged, believing there were no fish inside.

However, upon realising this was not the case, he was forced to take extraordinary measures, calling in the Bury St Edmunds Angling Association to remove the fish exposed in the receding water.

The fish were saved, and Mr Tunnah was able to reintroduce them to the pond after it had been filled up again.

The centrepiece of the regeneration scheme was the planting of the park’s daffodil avenue, for which over 100,000 daffodils were ordered from Holland.

In a statement, his family said: “At this juncture, Peter would insist we acknowledge the tireless work of the gardeners were who were tasked with planting all these bulbs.

“It was backbreaking work, and they did ask that he ‘please not have any more good ideas,’ at least for a while.”

His family said Mr Tunnah brought joy to the many thousands that came from miles around to soak in the splendour of the town.

They added: “He was a carpenter, a beekeeper, a photographer, an astronomer, an avid birdwatcher, a music buff, a fisherman, and an entomologist. He waxed lyrical about literature, film, plays and operas.

“He loved every aspect of nature, and nature loved him back.”

Mr Tunnah’s funeral is at 1.30pm on July 19, at West Suffolk Crematorium.