Welcome to the September edition of the RSGS e-news!
Our online monthly GeoQuizzical event is back by popular demand starting next week on Monday 11th October. We have the latest on our Inspiring People talks programme, including our talk tomorrow with Richard Else.
We announce our plans to screen our upcoming feature-length documentary film during COP26. Finally, we have news of our recent RSGS medal recipients including the Scottish Geographical Medal to Professor Roger Crofts and the Coppock Research Medal to Professor Christopher Philo.
GeoQuizzical- First Quiz of 2021
Next week we will be hosting our first monthly online quiz! Join us on Monday 11th October at 7:30pm over Zoom for what promises to be an enjoyable evening online. The quiz will be the regular format of eight rounds of eight questions, with prizes on offer!
Tickets are £3 per device, with all proceeds to support the work of the Society. Book your tickets now by clicking on the ‘tickets’ button below.
We have now hosted two Inspiring People talks, the first with Kenyan hiker Gitonga Wandai and the second with David Hope-Jones, Chief Executive of Scotland Malawi Partnership. It has been brilliant to welcome back so many of our members and people from all over the world, with both talks seeing over 200 households in attendance. We now look forward to having you all at our forthcoming talks, including filmmaker Richard Else on Cappadocia tomorrow and geobotanist Dr Tom Dargie next week. The full talks programme can be viewed on our website at rsgs.org/public-events and tickets are available to book for all talks before the new year at rsgs.org/events.
Tomorrow we will be hearing from Richard Else for our latest Inspiring People talk!
Many tourists associate Cappadocia in Turkey with its spectacular balloon rides and underground cities; few people are aware that it has some of the most intriguing walks to be found anywhere in the world. There’s one drawback: there are few maps, and those that do exist show little detail. Richard Else shows the Cappadocia where hidden valleys are surrounded by the remains of an ancient civilisation and explores the challenges of walking in a landscape where the routes are not obvious.
As part of our activities for COP26, we have been producing our upcoming feature-length documentary, Scotland: Our Climate Journey, depicting Scotland’s climate journey, not only where we are now on the journey to net-zero emissions, but how far we have come, and where we are going. We are planning to screen our film during COP26 in November, in the hope that it will inspire audiences around the world to follow Scotland’s example and redouble efforts to protect the planet. We would be delighted for any opportunities to further share the film with our members and followers all over the world. If you would be interested in arranging a screening of our documentary film in your local area, please let us know by emailing enquiries@rsgs.org.
Recent Medallists
Last week, we awarded two of our most prestigious RSGS medals:
Our Scottish Geographical Medal was awarded to Professor Roger Crofts (left), previous chair of RSGS, for his lifelong outstanding national, and international contributions toward natural heritage. He has worked tirelessly on the importance of land use and the conservation of the environment through research, policies, public speaking, and publications: leading and working with a broad range of environmental organisations worldwide. Through his role as RSGS Chair, Roger has also brought his expertise and connections to enhance the work of the Society.
The Coppock Research Medal was awarded to Professor Christopher Philo (right), Professor of Geography in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. In recognition of Chris’s world-leading reputation as a social and cultural geographer, particularly for his work on geographies of ‘outsiders’ and, more recently, of the geographies of mental ‘ill-health’ and wellbeing.
