The Geology of Arran; Overseas without going overseas! Speaker: Stuart Blake

Geology of Arran - Address gived to Warwickshire Geological Conservation Group (WGCG) https://www.wgcg.co.uk 17 June 2020 Various educational research has revealed that 1 in 7 of people who study geology visit the island of Arran. This is the reason why the Lochranza (field education) Centre https://www.lochranzacentre.co.uk has joined forces with the National Trust for Scotland and the Arran Heritage Museum to form the Arran Geopark. The function of the Geopark is threefold: to educate people about our amazing landscape, to conserve what we have and look after it, and finally to try to make it a sustainable resource. This well-illustrated talk will highlight the vast amount of different geology and landscapes to be enjoyed by a visit to this little island and show why it is such a popular destination for geologists and tourists alike. Stuart Blake is an Instructor and the Director at the Lochranza Centre. He arrived on Arran some 38 years ago as a graduate and teacher of geology to take on the role of an instructor. He has taught geology and acted as a mountain leader, both on Arran and overseas in Iceland for most of that time. He also enjoys visiting and sampling geology from other areas – his most recent excursions having been to the Azores, the Caribbean and Ireland. The Lochranza Centre employs six staff as instructors and the Geopark has a coordinator, all sadly furloughed at the moment. Since the Geopark and the Lochranza Centre are not in receipt of any government or Council funding they have try to raise the money to keep going. The Centre provides accommodation and / or tuition to people of all ages, from primary school age to those in the U3A. Teaching covers the geology, geography and biology of this island home. Activity courses are run offering gorge walking, mountain biking and abseiling, to name but a few of the activities available. The centre offers accommodation for people attending courses or just wanting to visit the island. With thanks to Stuart Blake