Establishing baseline knowledge for local fossil heritage

Community Custodians

This research placement is funded by the Collaboratory Research Hub and brings together a multidisciplinary team from the Charnwood Forest Geopark, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and Universities of Leicester and Loughborough. This placement is held by Harry T. Jones, a PhD student at the University of Birmingham.

The fossil of Auroralumina is about 20 cm tall.

A reconstruction of what life looked like in Charnwood Forest 560 million years ago.

How much do communities know about their local fossil heritage?

We aim to establish baseline knowledge of local fossil heritage in Leicestershire, with a focus on the Charnwood Forest Geopark, by distributing an online survey – Fun With Fossils. The survey is complemented by in-person workshops in Leicestershire that work with diverse audiences to practice heritage engagement and communication. This will help to identify the needs of different community groups and inform future outreach strategies to better engage the public and foster a greater appreciation of local fossil heritage.

Project outcomes

The findings from this project will be compiled into a short, open-access report, which will be co-created with local community groups to facilitate more effective communication between the public, researchers, and policymakers.

For more information about the project/survey, feel free to email Harry T. Jones, at P3004088@my365.dmu.ac.uk.

Take Part In The Survey