MENDIP ROCKS! 2015 FESTIVAL EVALUATION

Mendip Rocks! 2015 Festival of Geology Evaluation 2015 festival events were well attended and enjoyed widespread publicity in the local media. This year there was 24 events on programme, including new for 2015, August pre festival event held at Westbury Quarry, at which the programme was launched. (2014- 24 events, 2013 – 17).

The festival is a marvellous collaboration and a huge thanks to all who contributed; Alan Gray, Elizabeth Devon, Simon Carpenter - Museum, Derrick Hunt, David Rowley, Steve Nice , AONB, Mendip Society, Natural , National Trust, Earth Science Centre, Avon Wildlife Trust , Step in Stone Arts Trail project, Somerset Wildlife Trust, and Westbury sub Mendip Quarry, Nigel Taylor with Peter Hardy.

NEW FOR 2015: Wild Westbury Pre festival event, Saturday 1st August 2–5.30pm Nearly 100 people including many families with children, attended. The event included a guided walk by quarry manager Nigel Taylor. Peter Hardy (author of “The Geology of Somerset”), provided the specialist geological history of the dis-used quarry, and local fossil finds. Adel Avery, Mendip Rocks! Festival co- ordinator provided the family activities. Children enjoyed bug hunting in the wildflower meadows, and searching for fossils in the rocks. Indoor fun included; casting clay fossils, fossil tiles, and bugs. Also carved woodblock fossil rubbings, dinosaur puzzle and making butterfly finger puppets.

Mendip Rocks would like to run this event again next year, and for potential large numbers, organise more activities with support from AONB Young Rangers and Somerset Wildlife Trust - Save Our Magnificent Meadows project.

Media Log Mendip Times half page Ad (paid by AONB), What’s On in Somerset – Advert/listings Weekly editorial excellent from – Somerset Series of papers, Wells/Shepton Journals and Frome Standard http://cheddarparishcouncil.org/mendip-rocks-festival-programme/ http://www.cheddarvalleygazette.co.uk/Mendip-Rocks-festival-returns/story-27780250-detail/story.html http://www.wellsjournal.co.uk/Exploring-landscape-Mendip-Rocks/story-27890853-detail/story.html http://www.discoverfrome.co.uk/event/mendip-rocks-2015/ http://www.fromestandard.co.uk/Mendip-Rocks-Festival/story-27855161-detail/story.html http://geologywestcountry.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/mendip-rocks.html http://www.wells.gov.uk/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=906&cntnt01returnid= 130 http://heyevent.com/event/iduv3zvezaop6a/mendip-rocks-collecting-fossil-reptiles-from-wiltshire http://cheddarwalking.org.uk/latest-news/ http://www.fromestandard.co.uk/Rock-festival-uncover-hidden-gems/story-27983247-detail/story.html

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MENDIP ROCKS! 2015 FESTIVAL EVALUATION Websites/Social Media links – AONB, Visit Nunney, Stoke St Michael, Westcountrygeology, SESC, Quarry Faces,BGS website, Rock Watch, The Geological Society website, West of England geology blog, Wells Cathedral School Geology department blog. Somerset Wildlife Trust and link on BGS Earth Science Week programme listing, via facebook/Twitter. AA Twitter feed – Wells events in Earth Science week. 12-18 October 2015 Other Publicity Wells Museum newsletter, Parish newsletter Frome Times and free listing in Mendip Times events & editorial October and November issues. Posters – displayed in Frome, Wells, Shepton Libraries, coffee shops and Tourist offices, also Frome, Radstock, and Wells Museums. Parish notice boards in Oakhill, Stoke St Michael, Mells. SESC noticeboards – alongside Step in Stone project. Also programme displayed at Quarry for SIS open days. Mail chimp newsletter to emails from previous event participants and quarry faces email list. Festival coordinators welcome more email addresses that may have been captured at events this year for future advertising of programme.

2015 FEEDBACK ‘Thank you for a terrific afternoon today at Whatley. We learnt so much and hope perhaps to come back for more’, .Jenny Crossley (through publicity to Wookey Parish Council)

“Brilliant events so far! Thanks so much, I really enjoyed the Wells in Stone Walk last week. Do please hand on my best wishes to David Rowley - and keep up the good work! “ Many regards - Richard Lister.

“I just wanted to say thank you for today's walk and ask you to pass on my thanks to David. I thought that it was great that we had a chance to get some practical experience and it really helped in my understanding of the geology that we were being introduced to.” Isabel Monks

17 Oct Burrington Ham walk – RW asked some of participants how they heard and it was through Mendip Rock publicity, as well as Discovering Black Down website and project newsletter. Very enthusiastic about it. Comments included; ‘Could you run Mendip Rocks twice a year. So we get to go on all of them as some are fully booked’. Participants who went on the walk last week, said how much they had enjoyed it, ‘very informative’ AA had feedback from three people who attended Shipham walk, all said the walk was too long.

Ideas 2016 Frome Museum – Browne’s Cave exhibition and events – Launch festival in September. Could have festival launch at Frome museum to tie in with Browne’s cave exhibition and on a Sunday on day of Frome Independant market to capitalise on big footfall in town? Followed by a local “History of Frome in Stone, geology of the town’s buildings and underground tunnels.” Andy at Minerva Stone Conservation, has offered to lead a walk in Frome, maybe later in that week? Bone Caves – start festival in September to include them again, prior to bats hibernation. Peter Hardy – could ask for a geology walk in Vallis Vale, or Burrington or evening talk on local quarry fossil finds? Great collection brought to Wild Westbury. Chris Richards, in provides focus for north west Mendips – WSM, walk Frome Museum – Brownes Cave exhibition Talks at Wells and Radstock museums - suggest Wookey cave talk at Wells museum? Can Nigel Taylor give talk on new cave passages? History of Somerset Coalfields – talk at Radstock museum?

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MENDIP ROCKS! 2015 FESTIVAL EVALUATION Taster climbing day at Fairy Caves Quarry SW Heritage Trust, Taunton – Bob Croft – charterhouse event – Black Moor tour – ask Eddie Bayley AI geologist More Mineral walks – (Shipham and Burrington both good numbers)

2015 PROGRAMME – Numbers attended MENDIP ROCK VISITOR NUMBERS 2015 Numbers sat 01-Aug- Wild Westbury Quarry pre-event, SESC & P.Hardy 2-5.30pm 95 15 sat 03-Oct-15 Let’s Rock SESC launch event, AONB/SWT/E.Devon, S.Carpenter, S.Thomas, 60 E.Bayley, S.Smith & Gems. wed 07-Oct-15 History in Stone Walk Wells - David Rowley 3.30-5pm 13 wed 07-Oct-15 Mendip Hills AONB practical task at Westbury sub mendip quarry 7 wed 07-Oct-15 Dorset & Talk - Derrick Hunt 7.30pm SESC 13 thu 08-Oct-15 Torr Geology Tour - Steve Nice 9.30 - 1 8 08-Oct-15 Dorset & Somerset Coal Canal Walk - Derrick Hunt 2-4pm meet SESC car share 25 fri 09-Oct-15 Tour – SESC 2.00 - 4.00 8 fri 09-Oct-15 Whatley Quarry Tour – SESC 5.30 - 7.30 8 sat 10-Oct-15 Shipham walk Andrew Newton, AONB 31 10-Oct-15 Family Day, , Step in Stone Arts Trail project 170 sun 11-Oct-15 Clay Tiles workshop , SESC, Step in Stone Arts Trail project 7 12-Oct-15 Twilight Quarry Tour - SESC, 5.30 - 7.30 8 tue 13-Oct-15 Fairy Caves poetry walk Ralph Hoyte 7.30pm Step in Stone 20 wed 14-Oct-15 Tor Hill Geology Mapping walk - David Rowley 3.30-5pm 12 14-Oct-15 Lost Cave of Hutton - Alan Gray, SESC 7.30pm 7 sat 17-Oct-15 Hidden history Burrington Ham 2 - 4, R.Thornes & RW 21 sun 18-Oct-15 Vallis Vales Geological Gems Elizabeth Devon 14 tue 20-Oct-15 Whatley Quarry Tour 2 - 4 9 wed 21-Oct-15 Mendip Hills AONB practical task at - walling 10 21-Oct-15 Talk - fossil reptiles from Wilts clay pit, S Carpenter 7.30pm Frome museum 31 sat 24-Oct-15 Somerset Coal Canal Walk - Mendip Society - Roger Moses tbc sun 25-Oct-15 Explore Family Event 10 – 4, SESC, NT, NE/D.Shreve. half term week 130 thu 29-Oct-15 Cheddar walk AONB volunteers (6 booked on, 2 turned up) 2

23 events - Total for 2015 709 Total 2014 – 1167 Total 2013 – 803 Total 2012 - 753

2014/15 EVENT PROVIDERS: Derrick Hunt - [email protected] Simon Carpenter - [email protected] Frome Museum; – exhibitions - Sue Bucklow [email protected] Frome museum manager Brian Marshall [email protected]

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MENDIP ROCKS! 2015 FESTIVAL EVALUATION

Alan Gray (Lost Cave of Hutton) [email protected]; 01761 452288

Banwell Bone Caves - [email protected]; 01934 820516 Elizabeth Devon - [email protected]; Peter Hardy ? Quarry Faces- [email protected]; 01373 836571 Natural England; Simon Clarke - [email protected] Julie Merrett - [email protected] 01458 860120 Mendip Hills AONB: Andy Mallender - [email protected] 01761 462338 Discovering Black Down Project Officer - [email protected] Nic Penn, Vol Coordinator - [email protected] 01761 462 338/07770 646 161 Volunteer Ranger – (Shipham walk) Andrew Newton - [email protected] Mendip Society : [email protected] [email protected] National Trust: [email protected] 07833436065 01934 844518 organises practical tasks with AONB Radstock Museum: Manager – Nick Turner [email protected] Somerset Earth Science Centre: [email protected] [email protected] Somerset Wildlife Trust : [email protected] event education workshops 01823 652415 [email protected] publicity/website [email protected] graphic designer Wells and District Museum Manager – Christine Quinn [email protected] 01749 673477 (Bookings for Wells Walk that David Rowley does) [email protected] David Rowley – Wells Cathedral school geologist [email protected]; 01749 834256 Chris Richards [email protected]; 01934 627478 Westbury sub Mendip Quarry [email protected] 01749 871289 Banwell Bone Caves [email protected]

OTHER CONTACTS: Event workshops: Rockwatch (junior club of Geologists Association) [email protected] Susan Brown runs Rockwatch and outreach workshops: [email protected] Jen Harley, Maple Leaf Geocaching [email protected];

Adel Avery & Ruth Worsley, Festival Coordinators (November 2015)

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