Unless stated otherwise, events in this region are organised by the Society’s West of England and South Wales Regional Committee.
Regional Committee Chair: Dr Kathryn Monk, 
+44 (0)7990 782 887
west_swales_chair@btinternet.com
Coming up:
On the trail of dinosaurs and other fossils
Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol
- Saturday 20 April 2013 10.00am-4.30pm
- Field visit (Bristol)
From the Clifton site of the 1834 Bristol dinosaur discovery, we will venture via the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the beach at Aust in search of fossil bones… and poo.
Venue: Aust beach, Clifton Bridge, The Downs, Bristol.
Please book by 10 April - further information from Simon Garrett, email sgarrett@bristolzoo.org.uk or telepohone +44 (0)11 7974 7370.
Send a Cow representatives (Richie Alford plus provisionally the Chief Executive)
- Tuesday 7 May 2013 at 6.30pm for 7.00pm start
- Lecture (Bath)
All welcome, light refreshments provided.
Venue: Room NEG02, Bath Spa University, Newton Park Campus, Bath BA2 9BN: map
Tickets: No need to pre-book, all welcome on the night. Light refreshments served.
Annual dinner
Roz Savage FRGS
- Friday 10 May 2013 at 7.15pm for 7.45pm
- Lecture and dinner (Weston-super-Mare)
- Booking deadline: 3 May 2013
Roz, holder of four world records, UN climate hero and inspirational environmental ambassador, will present timeless stories of adventure rowing the great oceans. Dinner with spectacular views of the bay.
Venue: The Edwardian Tiffany Rooms, Weston-super-Mare, Grand Pier, Marine Parade, BS23 1AL.
Tickets: please book by Friday 3 May 2013. £28 before 19 April 2013, £32 thereafter. Please send a self addressed envelope when booking.
Contact: G Parkes, Friary Lodge, Hinton Charterhouse, Bath, BA2 7TE, telephone +44 (0)78 1398 1984 or email geoffrey.parkes@btinternet.com.
Land Rover driver training
- Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 May 2013
- Near Ledbury
Geography Outdoors has teamed up with our corporate benefactors Land Rover to provide a practical driver training course covering key driving and safety techniques for people undertaking expeditions or fieldwork in remote areas.
Venue: Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury. Cost: £150 including VAT includes notes, lunch and refreshments.
To book: telephone +44 (0)20 7591 3030 or email go@rgs.org.
The origins of agriculture
Peter Thoday
- Friday 24 May 2013 7.30pm-9.00pm
- Lecture (Bath)
Peter Thoday, former botanical consultant to the Eden Project, will talk on the origins of agriculture. A joint science, anthropology and geography event as part of the BRLSI Commemoration series.
Venue: BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath, BA1 2HN.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £2, non-members £4. Contact Dick Bateman, telephone +44 (0)12 2587 3474.
Star fish and subterfuge
Les Davies MBE
- Saturday 15 June 2013 2.00pm-4.00pm
- Field visit (Mendip Hills)
The story of how Bristol was moved some 20 miles to the west during World War II and an investigation of how and why.
Venue: Charterhouse Centre car park, Mendip Hills, BS40 7XR. Tickets: free, booking essential.
Contact: Les Davies, email les.davies@westcountryman.org.uk.
The anthropology of allotments
Professor David Crouch, University of Derby
- Thursday 20 June 2013 7.30pm-9.00pm
- Lecture (Bath)
Professor David Crouch researches the cultural geography and anthropology of allotments, has written two key texts on the subject, and enjoys communicating his findings to the general public.
Venue: BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath, BA1 2HN.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members £2, non-members £4.
Contact: Dick Bateman, telephone +44 (0)12 2587 3474.
The Everest story
Stephen Venables
- Thursday 27 June 2013 at 7.45pm
- Regional Theatres Programme (Brecon)
Illegal trespasses, unsuccessful attempts, the 1953 triumph, an ascent without supplementary oxygen and today’s mass guided climbs. Join internationally acclaimed mountaineer Stephen on an intimate portrayal of Everest.
Venue: Theatr Brycheiniog, Canal Wharf, Brecon, LD3 7EW.
Tickets: RGS-IBG members and one guest £8 each, booking fee 50p (quote membership number), telephone +44 (0)18 7461 1622.
Wetland habitats creation on the Steart Peninsula, Somerset
Richard Cox, Environment Agency, and Tim McGrath, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
- Saturday 29 June 2013 10.30am-2.30pm
- Field visit (Bridgewater)
We will visit the largest wetland habitats creation scheme in England, costing £17-20 million, which is setting back flood defences to create new intertidal and freshwater habitats.
Venue: Site Office, Steart Drive, Bridgewater, TA5 2PU. Maps sent out on booking.
Places limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please book by 15 June. Tickets telephone +44 (0)79 9078 2887 or email west_swales_chair@btinternet.com
Migratory beekeeping in the USA
Professor Adam Hart
- Wednesday 13 March 2013 at 7.30pm
- Lecture (Cheltenham)
Commercial American beekeepers run large, ‘industrial’ beekeeping operations that rely on the practice of migratory beekeeping. Professor Hart will examine the practice, its effects on bee health and will discuss the future of beekeeping.
Venue: Room TC001, School of Natural & Social Sciences, Francis Close Hall Campus, University of Gloucestershire, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4HZ.
Tickets: free entry, contact Dr Phillip Toms to reserve your place, email ptoms@glos.ac.uk.
Luminescence dating: radiochemistry and the sand grain
Dr Phillip Toms
- Thursday 14 March 2013 at 7.00pm
- Lecture (Cheltenham)
A joint event with the Royal Society of Chemistry. Luminescence dating is amongst the most versatile of chronological techniques, frequently exploited to reveal the timing of past environmental change and human evolution, dispersal and occupation. This talk explores the key ingredients of luminescence dating; sunlight, minerals, radiochemistry and time.
Venue: Room TC001, School of Natural and Social Sciences, Francis Close Hall Campus, University of Gloucestershire, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4HZ.
Tickets: Free entry, contact Becky Tomkins to reserve your place, email rtomkins@glos.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)12 4271 4506.
Land Rover driver training
- Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 March 2013
- Near Ledbury
Geography Outdoors has teamed up with our corporate benefactors Land Rover to provide a practical driver training course covering key driving and safety techniques for people undertaking expeditions or fieldwork in remote areas.
Venue: Eastnor Castle Cost: £150 including VAT, for further details, please telephone +44 (0)20 7591 3030 or email go@rgs.org.