We welcomed 30 people to the third geology study day in October, held as part of the Pennine Watershed Landscapes project. The participants came from the local area, from organisations such as the Friends of Baildon Moor, the Friends of Ilkley Moor, Bradford Countryside Volunteers, the Carved Stones project on Rombald's Moor and from the environmental services in Bradford Council.
The group was able to find out more about the geology of the areas that they knew well from a talk by Alison Tymon on the 'Geology of the Bradford area'. Two visitors from the Cheshire RIGS Group, which is an organisation with the same aims as the West Yorkshire Geology Trust, gave talks about their involvement in the geoconservation field. Cynthia Burek from Chester University spoke about her work with national organisations to improve awareness of geodiversity and Veronica Cubitt Caddy told us about how she has worked with owners and developers on sites in Cheshire and North Wales to make sure that their geological features are maintained. These talks resonated with us all, whether conserving geology, archaeology or environmental sites.
Our venue at Hughes's Bakery Conference Centre provided lunch, after which we walked up to Shipley Glen to look at the rocks and landscape features in the area, including Baildon Hill, where a survey on industrial archaeology is being undertaken at the moment. Alison was able to introduce the participants to rocks and landscapes in the local area which she had discussed in theory during the morning.
Two further study days will be held in Calderdale and in Haworth within the next year and we hope to welcome volunteers from these areas who want to find out more about geology and landscape
Geoday at Beaumont Park, Huddersfield
Because of excellent publicity in the local paper arranged by Kirklees Countryside Unit and local posters organised by the Friends of Beaumont Park, the Geoday during half-term week was very well-attended. The volunteers were overwhelmed by families who enjoyed the dinosaur activities and wanted to talk about the displays of rocks, minerals and fossils. It helped that we held the event in the café run by volunteers from the Friends of Beaumont Park, so food, drink and geological activities all took place together.
Guided walks to the rock exposures in Beaumont Park were taken regularly and about 50 people enjoyed seeing plant fossils and the huge rock faces of the disused quarry, now incorporated into the parkland. The weather was kind enough for us to see across the Holme Valley towards Castle Hill and interpret the landscapes produced by the Upper Carboniferous sandstones and mudstones. A resounding success which we would like to repeat next year!
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