SABRINA TIMES March 2020

Open University Geological Society Severnside Branch

Branch Organiser’s Report Hello everyone,

Day of Talks Our last event of 2019, the annual Day of Lectures at the National Museum in Cardiff, had a good turnout of thirty- five members who enjoyed four excellent talks. Cindy Howells (National Museum of Wales) gave a talk about dinosaur discoveries and the history of some of the collectors; Prof Susan Marriott (University of Bristol) described the early depositional environment of the Old Red Sandstone in the Anglo-Welsh Basin; Prof. Huw Davies (Cardiff University) presented the background to the relatively new science of mantle circulation modelling; and the talk from Dr. Ian Skilling (University of South Wales) described some of the processes that trigger explosions when hot magma meets cold water. Something for everyone ! Our thanks go to Michelle Thomas for organising this popular event. Branch Annual General Meeting It was good to meet those members who were able to attend our branch AGM in February, at our new venue of Langstone Village Hall. As always, the AGM presented an opportunity to reflect on our collective achievements during the previous year, namely, one overseas trip; two weekend field trips; four day trips; a weekend workshop; a day of lectures; a talk at our branch AGM; and the publication of five newsletters. Both Averil Leaver and John de Caux announced that they intended to relinquish their committee roles as Treasurer and Newsletter Editor respectively at the next AGM in 2021. Hence we are now seeking volunteers to take over these important roles – please contact me if you are interested in these opportunities and would like to help with branch activities. Following the AGM we were treated to five excellent talks from our members, and we hope to have a short summary of some of them in future newsletters. Dilys Harlow started the proceedings with a presentation on the (nearly) submerged continent of Zealandia in the southern hemisphere. This was followed by a talk by Janet Hiscott about the OUGS trip to Arctic Norway and Sweden in 2011. Averil Leaver then described the various fossil specimens of the bird-like dinosaur Archaeopteryx that we saw during the trip to Solnhofen in southern Germany last year. The next talk was given by Elen Statham, who described the laudable work she’s currently doing to establish the Llanbadoc Geology Trail near Usk. And finally Janet Hellen gave an account of a recent field trip to the Lake District led by Dave Green. It was a real pleasure to hear these five ladies talk with enthusiasm and knowledge about wide- ranging subjects that kept us riveted and I would like to thank them all for being brave volunteers. The AGM minutes are published on page 2 Field Trips You may have noticed that many of our recent field trips have been taking place in the northern and western parts of the geographic area covered by Severnside, and trips planned for this year are no exception. We are desperately in need of volunteers to help us organise trips in the southern and eastern part of Severnside. Michelle Thomas is doing a splendid job organising jobs in the north and west, but we do need help to cover areas such as Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, etc. So if you live in these areas and enjoy field trips, here is a golden opportunity to help fellow members. The added benefit is that you can choose locations you would like to visit ! Finally, in this issue you’ll find a report of our successful trip to Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Clee Hill last September, kindly written by Sue Wellens from the South-East Branch. Thank you Sue! Best wishes, Norman Nimmo-Smith In this issue: Severnside AGM 2 Severnside Accounts 3 Ludlow area field trip 4 Events 9

See page 11

D46 Severnside Branch AGM 9th February 2020

Minutes of the AGM held on Sunday 9th February 2020 at Langstone Village Hall, Old Chepstow Road, Langstone, Newport

The meeting opened at 11am.

Present: Philip Morgan, Joyce Ali, Terence Blake, Dilys Harlow, Michelle Thomas, John de Caux, Ruth Scantlebury, Janet Hellen, Trevor Hellen, Teresa Jenkins, Freda Young, Janet Hiscott, Averil Leaver, Elen Statham, Norman Nimmo-Smith. (15)

Apologies: Kath Addison-Scott, Andrew Harper, Frank McKenzie, Linda Fowler, Jan Ashton-Jones, Guy Moody, Lenore Taylor, Andrew Crossley, Jane Randle, Polly Rhodes, Malcolm Shaw, Lynda Cornish, Kath Jones, Anthony Bukowski, Paul Wheat.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 24th February 2019. There were no matters arising. The minutes were accepted by the meeting, proposed by Janet Hiscott, seconded by Michelle Thomas, carried by majority vote.

Officers’ Reports Treasurer Averil reported that the balance of the account was very healthy due to the exceptional grant received this year. This grant was derived from the demise of Oxford Branch. We have welcomed a third of their members and have subsequently received additional members grant, a one-off reallocation grant and a proportion of their funds. Some of this bonus funding has been added to the trip account and we discussed ways of keeping our balances low to the benefit of all members. Newsletter costs continue to fall as the number of members receiving digital copies increases. We have changed the venue of the AGM this year because the National Museum of Wales is now charging us for the hire of the room. We are also aware that we need to make access easy for the wider area the Branch now covers. Jan Boddy was given flowers on her retirement from the Committee. Acceptance of the branch accounts was proposed by Freda Young and seconded by Janet Hellen; carried by a majority vote. Averil’s full report is available on the Members’ Page of the OUGS Severnside Branch website at https://ougs.org/severnside/members/. Many thanks to Ruth Scantlebury for examining the accounts promptly.

Branch Organiser Norman thanked the committee for their continued dedicated support. He informed the meeting that the branch had a successful programme in 2019 with one overseas trip, two weekend field trips, four day trips, a weekend workshop, a day of lectures, a talk at our branch AGM, and the publication of five newsletters. With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, he described the events and showed a selection of photos taken throughout the year. Norman’s full report is available on the Members’ Page of the OUGS Severnside Branch website at https://ougs.org/severnside/members/.

Election of Committee Members Branch Organiser: Norman Nimmo-Smith was willing to stand; proposed by Trevor Hellen, seconded by Janet Hiscott; carried by majority vote. Treasurer: Averil Leaver was standing; proposed by Janet Hiscott, seconded by Dilys Harlow; carried by majority vote. Averil mentioned that this would be her last year as treasurer as she had served for 8 years. John de Caux is also looking for someone to replace him as Newsletter Editor. If anyone is interested in either position and would like further information on the duties please contact a member of the committee. Ordinary Members: Current members were willing to stand - John de Caux, Teresa Jenkins, Kath Addison-Scott, Anthony Bukowski, Michelle Thomas and Janet Hiscott. Proposed by Trevor Hellen; seconded by Dilys Harlow; carried by majority vote.

Other matters Discussed The proposed Reorganisation of Branches into Regions was discussed following the article in the OUGS Newsletter - its effect on the distance to travel to events; the need for several Trip Organisers; and loss of contact with branch members. No positive views were expressed on the proposal for Regions. We also discussed how we could alter the expenses paid to speakers/leaders, charging for trips and mileage payments for travel – to help reduce the healthy balance in our account. 1 The proposal was made that we waive the fee for day trips this year; proposed by Janet Hiscott; seconded by Michelle Thomas; carried by majority vote. To be reviewed next year. 2 The proposal was made to increase expenses paid to speakers/leaders to £50; proposed by Teresa Jenkins; seconded by Janet Hellen; carried by majority vote. There was further discussion of ways to reduce our balance involving longer trips, such as not cancelling a trip if the number of participants were low. The idea was raised that we combine the Day of Lectures and the AGM into one event; we could perhaps extend the event over a weekend. It was noted that the AGM must be held in January.

The meeting closed at 12:45 pm.

2 Severnside Branch Summary of Accounts 2019

3 Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Titterstone Clee Hill 28/29 September 2019

Leader: Andrew Jenkinson Saturday Located in southern Shropshire, Ludlow is one of those towns that one can never tire of visiting (Fig. 1). It has a lovely location by the River Teme, an impressive castle rises on the cliff by the river, it can boast over 400 listed buildings and has a wonderful large church, St. Laurence, known as the Cathedral of the Marches. And then of course there is the important role it has played in the history of geology in the UK: the famous Ludlow bone bed and the work carried out in the Silurian stratigraphy by Roderick Murchison in the Ludlow area. The town is surrounded by a wealth of interesting geological features – all in all, it was clear that our two days here were going to be action-packed. We were fortunate to have as our leader Andrew Jenkinson, the editor of the updated ‘Mortimer Forest Geology Trail’ back in 2000 and an expert in the geology of the area. The group met up with him in Ludlow Museum as soon as it opened on the Fig. 1 Location of Ludlow in Saturday morning and it was here that he gave us an introductory talk to Shropshire Southern Shropshire as a whole. Armed with a geological map, he pointed out the obvious complexity of Shropshire’s rocks (as made very plain by the amount of different colours!) – it claims to have the most varied stratigraphical sequence of all the British counties. Andrew went so far as to declare that the map he held (the Wrekin SJ60) covered the most geologically varied and complete 100 square kilometres in the whole world! This is due to the area having been on the margins of geological happenings since Pre-Cambrian times, because of the Church Stretton Fault (one of the major deep ancient fractures of Britain, which still shows a little seismic activity even now). Crucially, its position on a continental edge during its journey from near the Antarctic Circle to its current location in the northern hemisphere has led to the wide variety of rock types. He compared the colourful area of Shropshire on the map to the more monochromatic Silurian and Ordovician beds to the west of the Church Stretton Fault Zone, all formed in deep water. Within this wondrous county, Ludlow’s immediate environs contained only Silurian strata (with some Ice Age deposits on top) and these were studied by Murchison in the 1830s. His work here and westwards resulted in the creation of his book ‘The Silurian System’ in 1839 and the establishment of the Silurian as a distinct Period. The Heritage Centre had a reproduction of Murchison’s geological cross-section of the Ludlow Anticline and the beds within it on the wall (Fig. 2). I looked at this and found myself a bit confused – that’s because all the names of the strata have since changed, as they tend to do as more research is done and type localities are redefined.

Fig. 2 Murchison’s geological cross-section of the Ludlow Anticline, displayed in Ludlow Museum

The confusion was cleared for me by this extract from the ‘Mortimer Forest Geology Trail’, a copy of which Andrew very kindly provided for each of us (it is now out of print): ‘’ The Ludlow Series has been subjected to intensive study since the 1960s. Here in the ‘type locality’ nine new rock formations in four groups (lithostratigraphic units) have been defined in place of the original three divisions. On the geological time scale, two stages are now recognized worldwide – Gorstian and Ludfordian. This is why international importance attaches to the Ludlow rocks in this district; and it is the main reason why the geological trail was established by the Nature Conservancy Council and Forestry Commission in 1977.’’ Note that Gorsty is a location in the Mortimer Forest and Ludford is a small village across the River Teme (via the Ludford Bridge) from Ludlow. Figs 3 and 4 clarify all you need to know about the Silurian as a whole (a relatively short geological periods at less than 30 million years) and the Silurian divisions relevant to Ludlow.

4 Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Titterstone Clee Hill 28/29 Sept.2019 (contd..)

Fig. 3 Geological Stages of the Silurian Period Fig. 4 Geological units of the Silurian Period (courtesy of the Geological Association)

With terminology all sorted, we headed off to Mortimer Forest to look at some of these internationally important rocks. This forest covers what remains of the upper portions of the Ludlow Anticline and lies above the town south of the River Teme. The ‘Mortimer Forest Geology Trail’ was produced during the golden days of geological research and funding. Andrew reminisced fondly about the cooperation of the Forestry Commission in clearing the exposures and putting in the signposts etc. Once installed, however, the work was considered finished and no funding provision had been made for future maintenance – a problem experienced by sites all over the country, as all the members of the group confirmed. Not surprisingly, nineteen years on, things weren’t what they used to be! Although we tried to follow the trail in the order given in the booklet (oldest to youngest), we simply had to omit some locations that were just too overgrown. Throughout our examination of the various strata exposed in the small quarry faces, Andrew reiterated the general theme: here, to the east of the Church Stretton Fault, we had been right on an ocean boundary, with sea level, though varying, never too deep. This produced limestones and siltstones, with fossils such as crinoids, graptolites and orthocones. Perhaps the most exciting (well at least the most significant) of the strata we saw were those ay Pitch Coppice Quarry, which showed the boundary between the Wenlock /Ludlow Series (the Much Wenlock Formation and the Lower Ludlow Siltstone respectively). This is shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 Andrew pointing to the boundary between the Wenlock and Ludlow Series of the Silurian

5 Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Titterstone Clee Hill 28/29 Sept.2019 (contd..)

After a break for lunch, we left the Mortimer Forest area and, in a series of car stops, indulged in a spot of geomorphological detective work. Our mission was to trace where the famed glacial Lake Wigmore had been located at the end of the most recent Ice Age (around 20,000 years ago). The River Teme, which nowadays flows through Ludlow, used to flow 10km west of the town to join the River Wye further south. During the Devensian Ice Age, however, glacial ice blocked the river’s route southwards, causing it to divert to the east and form glacial Lake Wigmore. As the lake level increased, water eventually over-spilled, and the force of the overflow created the Downton Gorge. This became the new route for the River Teme, which now flows through Ludlow to eventually join the River Severn at Worcester. On the return leg, we made a stop at Downton Church to look at the building stones (Fig. 6). As ever, old stone buildings are constructed with the most local usable stones, because of the cost and difficulty of transportation. Here, the local Downton Castle Sandstone (found above the Ludlow beds in the Pridoli Series) proved itself to be a reasonable building material. Our Saturday out in the field ended with a view from Whitcliffe Common. High above the picturesque town of Ludlow, with the escarpments of Brown Clee (the highest point in Shropshire at 540m or 1,770 feet) and Titterstone Clee forming an impressive backdrop, and with the sun shining benignly, it was definitely a Kodak moment! See Fig. 7.

Fig. 6 Andrew describing the building stones at Fig. 7 Ludlow from Whitcliffe Common, with Titterstone Clee Hill Downton Church on the right

Sunday Sunday started dry despite all the gloomy forecasts – and stayed dry all day, always a massive bonus for field trips. The plan was to have a building stone tour of Ludlow, then spend the afternoon up Titterstone Clee Hill – the high point of the trip, literally and in actuality. Unfortunately, the local expert on Ludlow’s building stones was unable to be with us, so Andrew soldiered on gamely despite having had little time to prepare. Highlights of the tour were: The Castle. This is built into the very bedrock on which it stands, this bedrock being a calcareous siltstone known locally as the Whitcliffe Beds (a member of the Upper Ludlow Silstone Formation). Ludford Corner. Across the River Teme from Ludlow town, this is the site of the famous Ludlow Bone Bed, which has now been thoroughly buried to prevent geologists and fossil hunters picking away at it. It is only a few centimetres thick, but packed with fossils. This locality is world famous, defined by Murchison as the base of the Devonian though this has since been ‘moved up’ in the succession (Fig. 8). Today it marks the Ludlow/Pridoli boundary. Broad Gate between Upper Broad Street and Lower Broad Fig. 8 Plaque at the site of the Ludlow Bone Bed Street. Within the arch of the Broad Gate we saw blocks of Downton Castle sandstone, repaired with Carboniferous sandstone from Dukes Quarry in Derbyshire. Also present were some blocks of the local Whitcliffe calcareous siltstone. The Parish Church of St Laurence. The early church was built of greenish grey flaggy calcareous siltstone from the Whitcliffe Beds which we were now starting to recognise, but most of the stone seen today is Downton Castle Sandstone, again with very new-looking repair work in Carboniferous sandstone (Fig. 9).

6 Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Titterstone Clee Hill 28/29 Sept.2019 (contd..)

Fig. 9 Mixture of sandstone building blocks Fig. 10 Titterstone Clee Hill, with its cap of hard dolerite, rising above the used in St Laurence Church Shropshire countryside

Situated about 5 miles east of Ludlow, the village of Cleehill has a car-park with a marvelous viewpoint looking to the east and southwest. Here we made our rendezvous for the afternoon’s tour of the main points of interest of Titterstone Clee Hill. We were lucky to have clear weather (although it was a good few degrees colder at this altitude!) and we could see for miles over to the Cotswolds and to South Wales. It’s always a treat to see the distinctive sinuous Malvern Hills, distant though they were. Titterstone Clee Hill is an outlier of Carboniferous sedimentary rocks in a syncline formation (Fig. 10). Andrew made a point that I hadn’t really considered before – that the layers compressed in a syncline are actually strengthened by the compression and are rendered more resistant to erosion (with the opposite being true for the strata in an anticline like the Ludlow Anticline – there, the layers are stretched and cracked and thus more vulnerable to erosive forces). These strata lie on top of Devonian and Silurian rocks, the Old Red Sandstone being evident in the red soils of the fields laid out below us.

Fig. 11 View of Ludlow with the top of its anticline missing but still traceable

Leaving the viewpoint, we headed yet further upwards for views from the other side, towards the west. From half way up the approach road to Titterstone Clee summit, we were able to view the town of Ludlow nestling beneath the Mortimer Forest Hill and get a very clear idea of where the top of the anticline had spread before it was eroded away (Fig. 11).

7 Mortimer Forest, Ludlow and Titterstone Clee Hill 28/29 Sept.2019 (contd..)

Then we climber higher still for the ‘piece de resistance’ – figuratively and literally! As Andrew had mentioned on Saturday, when we were looking over to the Clee Hills, the reason they remain present as hills to this day is because of a dolerite intrusion that capped the Carboniferous coal measures below, protecting them from erosion. This hypabyssal igneous rock is known as dhustone in these parts, close as we were to the border with Wales (‘dhu’ being Welsh for ‘black’). It really is a very hard stone, quarried nowadays as a source of roadstone and aggregate, and in the 1800’s as cobble setts and kerb stones (as we had seen earlier on Broad Street in Ludlow). We were able to approach this sill of dolerite in several of the quarry faces and see its columnar structure, created as it cooled (Figs 12 and 13). It really does deserve its pet name of ‘The Giant’s Causeway of Shropshire’ and made a memorable ending to our trip.

Fig. 12 Dolerite sill at Incline Quarry on Clee Hill

Fig. 13 Dolerite sill at the summit of Titterstone Clee Hill, providing a firm base for the National Air Traffic Services radar

Sue Wellens

8 Severnside Branch Events

2020 EVENT LEADER DETAILS A study of the late Neoproterozoic and Cambrian, the Monian orogenic phase, the unconformable Ordovician sedimentary, intrusive and volcanic active margin facies, and some of the best quaternary sites in Britain. Dave is returning with OUGS to the Lleyn Peninsula, on the North-West tip of Wales. He is very familiar with this area, and is a brilliant teacher of geology, as some of you already know. This is a joint long weekend field-trip between Severnside and North- West Branches, but anyone is welcome to join us! April The itinerary is likely to cover: Lleyn Peninsula Dave Green 3rd—6th SW Lleyn - Gwna Melange, Penmynnydd shear zone, Ordovician sediments & intrusions, N. Lleyn - Nefyn, Sarn Complex, Ordovician intrusions on Yr Eifl, S. Lleyn - Hells Mouth & Pwllhelli - Cambrian & Ordovician. Accommodation will be arranged, but there are no costs yet. Car-sharing will be necessary. Initially please register your interest with Michelle Thomas. There will be a booking form and itinerary in due course. Cleeve Hill is just east of Cheltenham. It has the most complete Middle Jurassic strata in the area, which is visible in various old quarries: inferior oolite sequence, bi-valve Cotswolds fossils, Harford member (sandstone). The views over the Severn Valley to the Malverns Cleeve Hill are fabulous! April 26th Dr. Nick Chidlaw Circular The group will be limited to 20 people, and car-sharing will be needed. Please email geological walk the organiser to register your interest. The Risk Assessment and Itinerary will hopefully be available in March 2020. Gloucestershire Geology Trust have published a Geology Trail about Cleeve Hill.

This is a 4-day field event starting on a Friday and finishing on a Monday. The costs are likely to be around £25 per person to cover the leader's expenses and notes, plus accommodation and travel. There will be a booking form in due course, but please contact Michelle Thomas with your expression of interest. Joe and Lucy run the monthly Palaeontology Group at the Radnorshire Museum, when they are not in China doing more research and cataloguing! Joe is a Guest Scientist at Mid Wales Dr. Joe Botting July Nanjing Institute of Geology & Palaeontology. Builth Inlier and and 10—13th The itinerary is yet to be confirmed, but hopefully will include visits to the Museum surrounding area Dr. Lucy Muir (splendid geology section!), Camnant Ravine, Llandegley Rocks, Castlebank, Llanfawr Quarry, and The Pales. Some of these locations are not suitable for anyone with mobility challenges. There will be lots of opportunities to find fossils, including bivalves, brachiopods, graptolites, and maybe even a trilobite or two, as well as viewing the igneous intrusions of the Builth Inlier.

This is a full day, bespoke trip by RIB from Cardiff Bay to Flat Holm island in the Bristol Channel. We hope to sail along the adjacent South Glamorgan coastline before crossing to the Island. We will spend some time circumnavigating it and looking at the exposed structures, August Flat Holm Chris Lee before landing. We should have a couple of hours to look at the surface geology and the 16th archaeology before returning directly to Cardiff. Anticipated cost is £37.00. Prior booking and payment is essential as places are limited. Further details to follow.

This is a weekend field event. The costs are not available yet, but it is hoped to source a local hotel for accommodation, meetings and meals. Aberystwyth Grits The itinerary is yet to be confirmed, but will include looking at the Aberystwyth Grits on September and Cambrian Dr. Charlie the coast, i.e. the turbidites along the coast, which will complete the Welsh Basin 19—20th Mountains Bendall overview which we saw on the Cardigan trip this year with Dave Green. Then we will be Mineralisation travelling inland to explore the mineralisation and possibly the mining heritage in the Cambrians. Expressions of interest should be emailed to Michelle Thomas.

Sedimentology and palaeoenvironments of the Upper Carboniferous Marros Group. We will examine the sections exposed in the cliffs and foreshore of Telpyn Point from Marros Sands to Amroth, in order to interpret the deltaic palaeoenvironment of the time. The walk from the cars will be about 2 miles over the fields to Marros Sands, then October Telpyn Point Dr. Geraint walking back again over potentially slippery and rugged rocks to Amroth Beach. So 3rd near Amroth Owen about 3-4 miles in total. Car-sharing will be required. Please bring a safety helmet if you have one. This needs to be worn if you wish to approach the cliffs along our route. Lunch: bring a packed lunch and drinks. Please contact Teresa Jenkins to let her know that you plan to join the group.

9 Event Notes

EVENT DETAILS CAN CHANGE Any last-minute changes of times or arrangements are on the OUGS website.... www.ougs.org Or...... Contact Norman Nimmo-Smith - 01684 891859 [email protected] If you are not receiving email reminders from Norman regarding forthcoming events or if you get a new email address please let him know so that he can keep in touch.

Transport If you are able to offer a lift to any event or if you have local knowledge regarding bus or train services etc. that might help those without their own transport to attend an event please let Norman know.

ALWAYS WEAR APPROPRIATE GEAR...WARM CLOTHING AND HIKING BOOTS. BEAR IN MIND THAT MANY SITES, ESPECIALLY QUARRIES, REQUIRE THE WEARING OF HARD HATS. ACTIVE QUARRIES REQUIRE HARD HATS AND YELLOW JACKETS. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT PARTICIPANTS BRING HARD HATS TO ALL FIELD TRIPS - JUST IN CASE !

IMPORTANT Each person attending a field meeting does so on the understanding that he/she attends at his/her own risk. The OUGS has Public Liability Insurance cover for field and indoor meetings but Personal Accident and Personal Liability cover remain the responsibility and personal choice of the participant. There may be an element of appropriate cover included in house or travel insurance. Although OUGS activities are not particularly dangerous members are advised to check whether exclusions apply to activities in which they propose to participate in case they wish to arrange further cover. An annual travel insurance may be the best solution for any member who regularly attends field events. This is again a matter of personal choice. All members participating in overseas events will be required to have travel insurance for the duration of the event. Participants should be covered for Medical, Repatriation and Personal Liability expenses. The Personal Accident element remains the personal choice of the member. Disclaimer None of the information in any of the advertisements for field trips or other events in this newsletter constitutes a brochure under the Package and Travel Regulations (1992)

OUGS Severnside Branch Committee

Norman Nimmo-Smith - Branch Organiser 01684 891859 [email protected] Averil Leaver - Treasurer [email protected] Janet Hiscott [email protected] Kath Addison-Scott [email protected] Anthony Bukowski [email protected] Teresa Jenkins [email protected] Michelle Thomas [email protected] John de Caux - Newsletter Editor [email protected]

Editorial

If you are one of the few members still receiving Sabrina Times by post why not get the much better colour version of this and future issues of the newsletter via email (in .pdf format). Just send a request to your editor at: [email protected] Contributions for the newsletter will be very welcome from members, as will any comments or suggestions for improvement. We are able to read or scan most text data formats or documents. For photos please send the images as separate files, preferably in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (.bmp) format with notations in the text.

10 Committee Vacancies

New and exciting Opportunities have arisen within Team Severnside !

Event Organisers We are looking for volunteers to help organise events, particularly in the southern & eastern part of the Severnside area, to complement Michelle’s sterling efforts in the north and west. If you enjoy field trips, this is the one for you. Newsletter Editor We are looking for someone to take over from John, who has published our newsletter Sabrina Times for more years than he cares to remember and now feels that it’s time for a change. No previous experience is necessary, as modern technology makes things very easy. Treasurer Averil’s long and successful reign as Branch Treasurer will come to an end at our next branch AGM in 2021. Being treasurer is not an onerous task, but it is an important one, and we are looking for a willing volunteer to help us keep our accounts in order.

Please contact Norman Nimmo-Smith at [email protected] (Tel. 01684 891859) if you are interested in any of these opportunities.

OUGS Symposium 2020 – Update on accommodation at 29/02/20

The original allocation of bedrooms by Lancaster University was in 3 ‘guest-room’ blocks and 2 ‘student-room’ blocks in the John Creed accommodation area. There is no lift in any of these blocks. Lancaster University have informed us that the 2 ‘student-room’ blocks are now earmarked for redecoration during the 2020 summer break and have reallocated us to House 77 ‘student-room’ block. House 77 does have a lift. All venues and accommodation, including House 77, are situated in the North Campus, so within close proximity of each other. To date over 60% of the bedrooms allocated to the OUGS have already been booked by members. If we exceed our allocation Lancaster University has informed us that there is, at present, some spare accommodation in the South West Campus but this is a car ride or long walk away from the North Campus. So please book as early as possible and if we do exceed our allocation we can try to obtain further bedrooms. Jane Schollick OUGS Symposium 2020 organiser

11