So far in 2024, our Chief Executive Mike Robinson was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List, we hosted a sold-out event with Professor Alice Roberts, and HRH The Princess Royal visited RSGS HQ. There are still bottles of the RSGS Explorer's Gin available to order, and we share some upcoming Inspiring People talks.
RSGS Chief Executive to receive OBE
2024 began with a lovely surprise when our Chief Executive, Mike Robinson, was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to climate change education, in recognition of RSGS’s ongoing work and impact, and a welcome reinforcement of the importance of geography in policy and society in general. Mike and the team at RSGS are delighted to receive this recognition, and the public response has been heart-warming. It ranges from politicians and civil servants to teachers and business people, as well as charities and RSGS members, and reflects the diverse network of support that RSGS and geography enjoy. We have received hundreds of messages of congratulation, and wish to express our gratitude to all of those who have sent messages.
Professor Alice Roberts event
We had a great night hosting author and presenter Professor Alice Roberts in Glasgow on the 20th January, in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, as part of their Diamond Jubilee programme. Alice delivered an interesting and inspiring talk about her books Ancestors and Buried, exploring what we can learn about the very earliest Britons from their burial sites. The evening was introduced by Professor Dame Anne Glover, President of RSGS and special advisor to the University of Strathclyde. Many thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come along to this sold-out event, and to Alice for a wonderful talk.
RSGS Explorer's Gin
Our RSGS Explorer's Gin, created in collaboration with Persie Distillery, is still available to order!
Hand-crafted in Perthshire, the geographical heart of Scotland, this special edition has been created in small batches using natural botanicals, resulting in a quality that can’t be replicated at large scale. It has top notes of Caledonian pinewood followed by the warmth of peppery heather. The result is a fresh, grassy gin with a softly spiced finish.
Available to buy for home delivery or for click-and-collect from RSGS HQ in Perth or Persie Distillery!
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited the Fair Maid’s House in Perth on 16th January for a special event hosted by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) with the Heart of Arabia Expedition Team. The Princess Royal is a Vice-President of RSGS and was Patron of the Heart of Arabia Expedition, which retraced the 1,400km journey from east to west across Arabia originally undertaken by explorer Harry St John Philby in 1917. At the event were other prominent guests including His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, as well as representatives from the Philby family, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the Heart of Arabia Expedition Team and RSGS’s Young Geographer Committee.
Upcoming Inspiring People Talks
Next Week Joe Bunyan Aberdeen (5th Feb), Dundee (6th Feb), Dunfermline (7th Feb), Glasgow (8th Feb - afternoon) & Edinburgh (8th Feb - evening).
In 2017, Joe Bunyan left a career in consulting to pursue his goal of becoming a film director. His debut documentary feature, Gitonga, received critical and public acclaim. He shares stories of the incredible people he has encountered, the lessons he has learned, and how he has applied his experiences across a variety of sectors: film, sport, government projects, and education.
Through newly-found archive material and photographs, Katherine MacInnes reconstructs the lives of five women – wives, mothers and sisters of the men participating in Robert Falcon Scott’s polar expedition – offering a fresh and utterly different perspective on the race to the South Pole.
