In memory of Dr Louise Walker
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr Louise Walker passed away on 14th March 2025, after losing her battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Louise was diagnosed in June 2023 and following this devastating news she campaigned to raise awareness of this life changing illness through the MND Association. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences to her husband Matt, daughter Olivia, and her family at this challenging time.
Louise worked at CIRIA, leading their work on Sustainable Drainage Systems and blue-green infrastructure as well as heading up CIRIA’s susdrain community for sustainable drainage. She was brilliant at drawing groups of people together to work together on industry guidance covering a wide array of topics and she was endlessly diplomatic while she managed different opinions and researched new ideas to make sure that the guidance was the best it could be. She passionately believed in SuDS and worked hard to find ways to see them delivered. She helped to develop CIRIA’s SuDS Evaluation training and was instrumental in the development of ciriabest – the benefits estimation tool for blue-green infrastructure as an online application.
She was a multi-award winning SuDS professional, but more than that, she was our friend. She lived in the Ribble Valley and walked near the river in Ribchester many days with her dogs. She wanted to see better environment protection and she knew that river pollution was something that we could manage if we all pulled together.
By contributing to this fund, you will support the planting of new woodland trees in the Ribble Valley and a small stand of trees within a woodland will be dedicated to the memory of Louise with a plaque, reminding those who visit just how wonderful she was.
