Welcome to the June 2014 Newsletter!

In the past few months there have been some exciting developments for the Lochaber Geopark. The Lochaber Geopark Committee, which is made up entirely of volunteers, has secured a grant from the Scottish Government to continue to promote the Geopark and apply to rejoin the European Geopark Network, and the Global Geopark Network which is supported by UNESCO and worth around £18m per year to the UK economy. To enable this work, and to develop a sustainable business model for the Lochaber Geopark, we have secured a new office base in Fort William which is staffed by full-time Project Manager Anita Delaney and a part-time Administrator will be appointed shortly.

What have we been doing.....

Lochaber Geopark, along with the other Scottish Geoparks, hosted the Scottish Geoparks Open Day which took place in Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on 8 May 2014. The open day was followed by an evening reception for local and national government, attended by MSP Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment & Climate Change, as well as environmental groups. We were delighted that Professor Iain Stewart was there and he gave an amazing talk during the evening event. The whole event was well attended and the Lochaber Geopark exhibit attracted some very positive attention.

Minister of Environment & Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, with Lochaber Geopark Chairman Jim Blair and Project Manager Anita Delaney

Prof Iain Stewart with Lochaber Geopark's Jim Blair & Anita Delaney.

We hope some of you were able to make it to the amazing Wild Lochaber Festival in May, when our popular Rock Safaris were run to Glencoe and Glen Nevis by Committee member Jim Blair, a qualified geologist and retired teacher. Additionally, a fascinating talk was given by Committee member Professor Ian Parsons on The Birth of Ben Nevis.

Committee member David Findlay OBE and friend!

The festival ran for a week and despite some rather wet weather was a great success and very well supported.

As you may know, supporting education is a main aim of the Lochaber Geopark and here are some examples of work that has been done recently...

Jim Blair setting up the Geopark stand...

The finished article! All ready for the Stontian Cubs & Scouts Science Day which was held in March this year in association with the British Science Association.

Additionally, panoramic posters of the summit of Ben Nevis have been distributed to all schools in Lochaber to support school projects and the feedback has been excellent from both staff and pupils!

...and a fantastic film The Story of Ben Nevis has been written and produced by two members of the Lochaber Geopark Committee - Noel Williams, a retired teacher of chemistry, geology & computing and Keith Hoole who has studied geology with the OU - with additional help from Eddie Lopez, a local resident and film whizz-kid. The story of how Britain's highest mountain was formed is truly spectacular involving mountain building, fire and ice and can be seen on YouTube for free - just search for The Story of Ben Nevis! DVD copies are available from our office.

News & Future Events....

We are delighted to announce that our latest Interpretation Board is due to be installed this summer in the recently refurbished Cameron Square, Fort William and we will keep you posted when this work is completed.

With this new addition being unveiled soon, Lochaber Geopark will have provided a total of 23 Interpretation Boards at some of the most beautiful, geologically significant and remote areas of Lochaber! To help you locate the boards and maybe plan your own Rock Route trip, we have produced a Rock Routes Guide which includes a location map and detailed directions include Grid References. These handy leaflets are available free of charge from visitor centres, VisitScotland information centres, shops as well as direct from our office.

Lochaber Geopark Interpretation Board at Mallaig

A visit to the Strontian Mines area is being planned for August 2014... all will be welcome... check Facebook for more details nearer the time!

Earth Science Education Scotland is currently lobbying the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to ensure that the planned cessation of the Higher geology certificate in 2015 is postponed until a new Earth science Higher is created. Lochaber Geopark supports this initiative and we are encouraging everyone to sign the endorsement form on the link below...

http://earthscienceeducationscotland.com/endorsements/

Lochaber Geopark is taking part in UK Earth Science Week from 13 - 19 October 2014, promoted by the Geological Society with the theme of 'Our Geo-Heritage'. The week will raise awareness of the geological heritage sites which exist throughout the UK, from famous landmarks to the less well known areas of geological significance.

In addition to talks and presentations, Lochaber Geopark will be running our well attended Rock Safaris during the week as well as offering training on the geology of Lochaber to local guides, business' and teachers.

Getting Involved......

Calling all geologists!
If you are a locally based or visiting geologist or work in a geological field, can you donate some of your time working with Lochaber Geopark, visiting a school and talking about what you do, or running a workshop? We’d love more geologists to take part in school workshops and help our volunteers with these projects.

Help for Students....
Can Lochaber Geopark help with questions regarding the Lochaber geology? We have inexpensive posters and rock samples and can assist with field trips, Rock Safaris, talks and workshops. If you’re a university, school or college and think we can help, please get in touch! And don't forget to check out our amazing film The Story of Ben Nevis, which is available free on YouTube.

Do you have a business in Lochaber?
As part of Earth Science Week we are offering all business' in Lochaber the opportunity to come along to our informal meetings which will introduce the concept of geotourism and give an overview of the geology of Lochaber, enabling you to impart this knowledge to the visitors on their trips as well as spreading the word about the Lochaber from this unique perspective.

Jim Blair on a field trip with students in Glen Coe

Keeping in Touch....

With the onset of Facebook and Twitter, and of course email, keeping in touch has never been easier! Our website is currently under review and more information on that will follow in due course and our Newsletter is available on Facebook.

If we can help with Rock Safaris, field study trips, talks, training or literature please contact us. We would be delighted to hear from you.

Telephone: 01397 705 314
Email: info@lochabergeopark.org.uk
Message via Facebook under Lochaber Geopark
Our postal address is given below.

We look forward to hearing from you and if you are in Fort William, you would be very welcome to call in to our office! We are in the High Street, first floor, opposite VisitScotland.

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Designing Your Email

Creating an elegant email is simple

Now that you’ve selected a template to work with, drag in content blocks to define the structure of your message. Don’t worry, you can always delete or rearrange blocks as needed. Then click “Design” to define fonts, colors, and styles.

Need inspiration for your design? Here’s what other MailChimp users are doing.