British Lichen Society AGM & Winter Meeting

Date: Friday 19th - Sunday 21st January 2024

Location: University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences. 

A map of the University of Nottingham Campus is available here. The School of Life Sciences is building 23 on the campus map.

Online attendance: Online access has been arranged for BLS members who wish to attend online. A link will be sent to all members around 10th January. Non-members are welcome and can book to attend by emailing Fay Newbery (vice-president@britishlichensociety.org.uk). Booked non-members will also receive a link via email around 10th January.

BLS Dinner 

A hot buffet dinner will be provided in the University’s Jubilee Hotel on the evening of Friday 19th January at a cost of £25. All bookings need to be made by 2nd January. Unfortunately, if money is transferred after 2nd January no booking can be made and payees will need to request a refund from the Treasurer.  Any enquiries to Peter Crittenden (pdc@nottingham.ac.uk)  

See further down for information on accommodation, parking, exhibitions, photo competition, nominations for trustees, AGM agenda and campus cafés.

Programme

Friday 19th January

17.30 Reception (wine and soft drinks) and Exhibition in the foyer, School of Life Sciences.

18.00: Lecture in Lecture theatre B3 on the first floor of the School of Life Sciences:

19.45 Dinner (hot buffet) at the University’s Jubilee Hotel. A short walk from the School of Life Sciences.

Saturday 20th January

9.30 Coffee, tea and exhibition (Room B1, School of Life Sciences).

10.00 Annual General Meeting. B3 Lecture Hall, School of Life Sciences.

12.30 Lunch break and Exhibition.

There are various options for lunches on the university campus. Please see the list below.

14.00 Winter Meeting. B3 Lecture Hall, School of Life Sciences.

14.00 Introduction by Neil Sanderson

14.05 Andy Acton – Atlantic hazelwoods

14.30 Gothamie Weerakoon – Progress in the Graphidiaceae

14.55 Introduction to discussion sessions – Fay Newbery

15.00 Discussions

At Nottingham: How can the BLS help to train sufficient lichen surveyors for the UK?

Online: Uses of the BLS database. Host: Ann Claypole

Online: How to tackle an unknown. Host: Pam Muir

Online: English names for lichens. Host: Paul Whelan

15.30 Tea-break

16.00 Lottie Cavanagh-Sweeeney – Lichen Interpretation

16.15 Jiri Subrt - Do Arctic lichens bleach with climate warming?

16.30 Neil Sanderson – K/UV tests

16.45 Tamsin Green – Walking out of sleep: encounters with lichen territory

17.00 Winners and awards

17.00 Close of meeting and arrangements for Sunday’s field trip.

Sunday 21st January

Excursions to local sites.

Morning meeting: Newstead Abbey.

Afternoon meeting: Quarry Banks Wood SSSI.

Field meetings:

Bookings for the field trips is now closed. However, Newstead Abbey is open to the public, so feel free to join us. Parking will cost £10.00.

We have booked two locations. Newstead Abbey for the morning (SK541537) and Quarry Banks Wood SSSI (SK533521) for the afternoon. Parking is limited at Quarry Banks Wood. People are welcome to spend the whole day at Newstead Abbey where there are toilets and a café if they prefer.

10.00 am - Newstead Abbey was the home of Lord Byron and is owned and run by Nottinghamshire CC. Entry is normally £6 but free parking is available for cars that are booked. There are toilets at this location and a café where refreshments and lunch can be purchased but it can get busy on a Sunday. The Abbey and other architectural stonework (e.g. lake edging stones) are magnesium limestone. The entrance to Newstead Abbey is at Pilgrim Oak (SK556545) on the A60 at Ravenshead. A map of the site and lists of previous records are available for download at the bottom of this page.

1.30 pm (to 3.30 or 4.00 pm as preferred) - Quarry Banks Wood is only a few kilometres away. It was designated an SSSI for its botanically rich calcareous vascular flora. It is on a busy farm. We have permission to park on the farmland. Again, this is on magnesium limestone and it is believed that the stone for Newstead Abbey was quarried at this site. There are limestone cliffs in the wood but a small open area near the entrance (probably once a service area for quarry operations) where the limestone is exposed underfoot will probably prove interesting (as might some walls near the farmhouse). The entrance to the farm is tricky to find in Linby at SK533510. It will probably be best if we leave Newstead Abbey as a convoy and arrive at the farm together.
 

Accommodation

There are many hotels both large and small available in Nottingham. The Jubilee Hotel is a 15-20 minute walk from the School of Life Sciences where the BLS meeting will take place. A bus service is also available; this is unlikely to be much quicker but will cut the walk down by about 50%.

Parking 

There is a sizeable car park on the south side of the Life Sciences building. Parking here, and in all other parking areas on campus, is free after 4:00 pm and at weekends. There are two entrances to the School of Life Sciences building: one on the south side facing the car park and the other on the north side just past the George Green Library (Science Library). Those staying at the Jubilee Hotel can park there. The walk to the School of Life Sciences takes 15-20 mins and brings you to the north side of the building.

Exhibitions

Exhibits can be put up in room B1 from 14.00 on Friday and should be ready for viewing by 17.30. They can be viewed during tea breaks until the close of the meeting on Saturday. Please advise Fay Newbery by e-mail at vice-president@britishlichensociety.org.uk of your requirements for tables or display stands before 31st December.

The BLS sales table will be present. There will also be Pd and sodium sulphite available in small quantities at a small charge. Contact Eluned at ehsbiol@gmail.com to pre-order if you want to be sure stock is put aside for you.

There will also be a take-and-donate table. Please bring anything that you no longer need which other lichen-lovers may be able to make good use of. Donations to the BLS.

There is still space for other exhibitions, whether that is art or a set of themed specimens or a poster or… 

Nominations for Officers and Trustees of the Society

The BLS would like to thank Judith Allinson, Janet Simkin and Gothamie Weerakoon for their service to the society, they will be stepping down at the upcoming AGM.

Nominations are sought for three new Trustees. Proposals should be sent by email, or in writing, to the Secretary at secretary@britishlichensociety.org.uk at least two weeks before the AGM. No person may be nominated without their consent.

AGM Agenda

Please sign the attendance list and write your own name badge. Please will those attending online update their displayed name so that they can be recorded as attending.

1.         Apologies for absence.

2.         Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 4th March 2023. Please refer to the minutes published in the Summer Bulletin 2023 (no 131).

3.         Matters arising.

4.         Reports of Officers:

4.1.      President                                           Neil Sanderson

4.2.      Treasurer                                           Duncan Wright

4.3.      Conservation                                     Bryan Edwards

4.4.      Data                                                   Paul Cannon

4.5.      Education & Promotions                   April Windle & Raymond Griffiths

4.6.      Bulletin editor                                    Maxine Putnam

4.7.      Lichenologist Senior Editor               Chris Ellis

4.8.      Website Editor                                   Neil Sanderson

4.9.      Field Meetings Secretary                   Graham Boswell

4.10.    Librarian                                             Theresa Greenaway

4.11.    Archivist                                             Mark Seaward

4.12.    Herbarium Curator                             Richard Brinklow

5.         Election of Officers & Trustees.          Paul Cannon

6.         Any other business.

7.         Date and place of AGM 2025.

Local organiser:

Prof. Peter Crittenden, School of Life Sciences, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD Email: pdc@nottingham.ac.uk 

Cafés:

Costa Coffee (Ground floor, Portland Building)

Monday to Friday, 8.30am-6pm

Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am-4pm

Filthy Vegan (B Floor, Portland Building)

Monday to Friday, 11am-5pm

Saturday and Sunday, opening soon

Saijokai Pan Asia (E Floor, Portland Building)

Monday to Friday, 11am-4.30pm

Saturday, 11am-3.30pm

Subway (B Floor, Portland Building)

Monday to Friday, 10am-7pm

Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm

Portland Coffee

Saturday & Sunday

11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Petersfield Area Lichen Enthusiasts (PALE) will be represented at the Alton Eco Fair

Date: 16th July

Time: from 10am to 2pm

For more details contact: Duncan Wright (duncanwright08@icloud.com) or Peter Bisset (pgbisset@gmail.com)

For more details of PALE see this page: https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/local-groups/petersfield

Petersfield Area Lichen Enthusiasts (PALE) local area meeting at Ramshill Cemetery

Date: Wednesday 5 July

Time: 10 am

For more details contact: Duncan Wright (duncanwright08@icloud.com) or Peter Bisset (pgbisset@gmail.com)

More details of this group can be found on this page:

https://britishlichensociety.org.uk/local-groups/petersfield

BLS Spring Meeting on the Isle of Arran

Local Contact: Margaret Chapman assisted by Alison Adams

Date: Arrival Saturday 13th April, departure Thursday 18th April 2024.

It is almost 40 years since the BLS held a meeting on Arran. There is a need to return and see if things have changed! The island is varied in its geology and landscape giving rise to a wide range of habitats.

Note: the end date given in the Winter 2023 Bulletin is incorrect; the above dates are correct.

Meeting Base

The meeting base is Arran Lodge in Lamlash KA27 8LQ. The BLS has reserved 17 chalets, a fully serviceable kitchen and a large microscope room.  The meeting is self-catering.

Accommodation and costs

Accommodation is 11 single and 6 twin en-suite chalets giving 23 bed-spaces in total; more accommodation might be available if there is a demand for it. The current costings are based on 5 nights. Single chalets £225pp, shared twin chalets £200pp.

Booking

Attendees should book their rooms with the field meeting secretary, Graham Boswell, email togooutdoors@hotmail.com or by post to Base Lodge 16 The Parks, Minehead TA24 8BS. And pay a deposit of £50 in to the British Lichen Society (not the BLS) Bank Account, CAF Bank sort code 40-52-40 Account No. 00012363 and reference the payment Arran.

Microscope Work

A very large meeting room has been reserved for the duration of the meeting for microscope work and presentations. The BLS microscopes will be available for communal use.

Ferry Information

Prices for 2024 are not yet available. The price of a single return passenger ticket is £8.40, a return ticket for a vehicle up to 6 metres is £34. The crossing time is 1.30.

A Bring your Problems workshop

Workshop facilitators: Brian Coppins & Neil Sanderson

Field visit leaders: Dave Minter & Wendy English

Date: Friday 23th to Monday 26th February 2024

The ‘bring your problems’ workshop has been a feature of the BLS meetings programme for some time, all Lichenological & Lichenicolous fungi problems large and small are welcome. The meeting features a field visit to a nearby woodland, which will be confirmed on the web-site.

Note: the dates given in the Winter 2023 Bulletin are incorrect; the above dates are correct.

Meeting Base

The meeting will be residential at Cober Hill, Cloughton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO13 OAR 
Tel: 01723870310.  Email: enquiries@coberhill.co.uk
Web-site: www.coberhill.co.uk to have a look at the accommodation and facilities

Accommodation and costs

Accommodation for 20 people in single and twin en-suite rooms has been reserved and a deposit paid by the BLS. Full board accommodation including dinner, breakfast and light lunch for 3 nights is £340.35 including VAT. The price includes the cost of the meeting room(s). The earliest time for check-in is 15.00. Dinner is at 19.00.

Attendees wishing to stay on Thursday night must book and pay their own accommodation.

Booking

Attendees should book their rooms with the field meeting secretary, Graham Boswell, email togooutdoors@hotmail.com or by post to Base Lodge 16 The Parks, Minehead TA24 8BS. And pay a deposit of £50 in to the British Lichen Society (not the BLS) Bank Account, CAF Bank sort code 40-52-40 Account No. 00012363 and reference the payment Cloughton.

Please advise of any special dietary needs.

Microscope Work

A very large meeting room has been reserved for the duration of the meeting for microscope work and presentations. The BLS microscopes will be available for communal use.
 

BLS Autumn Meeting 2023 - North Hampshire

Date: Friday 6th October to Monday 9th October

Local contact: Duncan Wright  duncanwright08@icloud.com

Based in Petersfield on the edge of the South Downs and straddling vice counties VC11 and 12 (South and North Hampshire respectively), this meeting provides the opportunity to visit sites for which records were last submitted at least 20 years ago. In many cases the records date from between 30 and 50 years ago.

Meeting Base:

The meeting base is Herne Farm Leisure Centre, Petersfield (GU31 4PJ), a very well appointed facility: a large heated hall with 15 tables, plenty of power sockets (extension leads will be needed), built in projector and screen and good wifi. The modern kitchen caters for large groups on site. There are 2 toilets and adequate parking. Pubs and shops are within easy walking distance. The centre is booked for the weekend. 

Accommodation: 

For this meeting, please arrange your own accommodation. There are several pubs, hotels and B & Bs close to the meeting base. There is a Co-op next door to the leisure centre.

The cost for this meeting is £10 payable at booking, this will contribute to the cost of arranging the meeting.

Booking: 

Please pay the deposit of £10 direct to the British Lichen Society (not the BLS) at CAF Bank Sort code 40-52-40, A/C No. 00012363 

Timetable:

The meeting will run Friday to Monday. Introductions and an introductory talk will take place at 19.00 on Friday 6 October at the Centre. Microscopes can be set up from 1300 on Friday and taken down on Sunday evening.  The local leader will also arrange site visits on Friday afternoon and Monday morning.

Details of the field programme on attached PDF

Maps: OL33 

This is an introductory day to lichens for beginners, led by Judith Allinson. It includes lunch.