Carole Porter

If you have received a parcel from the Geographical Association's shop in the last decade or more, there's a fair chance that it was packaged and processed by Carole Porter. 

Carole worked at Solly Street for over 25 years as Sales Administrator having joined in 1996. If you have ever attended the GA Conference, you have probably met Carole as she worked on the GA's stand. If you've ever rung the GA HQ you may well have spoken to Carole too. I was very happy to have Carole as a colleague when I worked there.

Carole retired at Christmas 2023, and I wish her a very happy retirement.

Liz Young RIP

Via the latest Spring 2024 issue of the GA Magazine, we heard about the sad passing of Liz Young, who was heavily involved in the North Staffs Branch of the Geographical Association as well as working as a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University. Condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.

RIP Professor Denys Brunsden

Via Anjana Khatwa on Instagram, I heard of the passing of Professor Denys Brunsden, GA President for 1986.

He did a great deal for the Association.

Condolences to Denys' friends and colleagues and particular to his family: Elizabeth, Martin and Judith.

Several people have already been sharing their memories of Denys. Thanks to Philip Anderson.

Updated end of July 2025

The BBC shared this story.

They point out that he was keeping busy with numerous projects.

More obituaries and messages:

https://www.geomorph.org/2024/10/obituary-for-professor-denys-brunsden-1936-2024-the-first-president-of-the-international-association-of-geomorphologists/  

From this document:

In 1956 he was enrolled as a geography student at King’s College of the University of London and had an opportunity to learn from Professor S.W. Wooldridge, one of the most eminent British geomorphologists of that time and a keen follower of the denudation chronology concept. No wonder, therefore, that in the early years of Denys’ research career issues of long-term landscape evolution were also strongly represented and his doctoral thesis was focused on the denudation chronology of Dartmoor. He will be associated with the King’s College for his entire academic career, until retirement.

".......after the funeral ceremony in Chideock in Dorset where he lived, his ashes were scattered onto the coastal landslide of Stonebarrow, going now slowly seaward. It is also necessary to mention the strong support Denys enjoyed throughout his life from his wife Elizabeth."

The Landslide Blog piece:

https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/professor-denys-brunsden

An online condolences book:

https://sendwishonline.com/en/business/group-card/Po3LRD7IsX0gre5JjxkUhwiEVHCF/board

GA Presidential Election for 2025-6

Following the call for nominations for the role of GA President 2025–26, an election is now taking place to discover the next GA President to succeed Hina Robinson, who will be GA President for 2024-5.

Nominations have been received for Catherine Owen and Kit Marie Rackley.

The GA President holds a number of key responsibilities, including setting the theme of the GA Annual Conference, chairing the Conference Planning Board and delivering the Presidential Lecture at Conference.

The President serves as Vice President (2024–5) in their first year and as an ex-officio member of Education Group. In the second year, as President (2025–6), they will also serve as the Chair of Education Group. 

Following their presidency, they serve for one further year as Immediate Past President (2026–7) and remain as a member of the GA’s Governing Body. 

Throughout the period of office, they work with the Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive to help steer the work of the Governing Body and the Association.

Read the statements from the two candidates and vote for your preferred choice by the 26th of February. You have a month to shape the future of the GA through your decision here. 

This election continues a trend of having more teacher Presidents put themselves forward than has historically been the case.

The new President will also be working with a new GA Chief Executive.

You have until the 5th of February to apply for that exciting role. Details here.

And if you want to vote and you aren't already a GA member, then now is your perfect opportunity to join and have your say.

GA Conference Programme 2024

Those who have already booked their early bird tickets, or are yet to book their tickets can now see the full programme for the GA Conference 2024.

I've got two inputs into the event. I'm running a book club featuring the book 'Dust' by Jay Owens. I'm hoping Jay will also be there in person.

I'm also presenting a lecture plus called 'Wake up and smell the Geography!' on the first session of the 5th of April.

Excited to see friends old and new and particularly the sessions from John Wilkinson and Sharon Witt and Helen Clarke - always wonderful....

Simulation in the Classroom

Simulation in the Classroom is a book in the 'Penguin papers in education' series. It is written by John Taylor and former GA President Rex Walford.

It explores the idea of role playing games and other simulations  

There are a few examples of games in the book.

There is the classic Herefordshire Farm Game, which involves students taking over the management of Canon Pyon farm on the Welsh border and deciding which crops to grow in its fields, whose yields are dependent on the weather experienced in each year they are in charge. The game was developed by W. V. Tidswell and was a regular part of my teaching when I first started .

It works well.

There is also a game developed by another former GA President when she was still teaching: Sheila Jones. This was developed along with David Gowing. It is an Urban Growth model, based on the city of Bristol, and developed following a session as part of the Madingley Lectures in 1967.

Check out John Taylor's work on simulation as well.

A cross-posting from my GeoLibrary blog.

'Changing the subject'

This book by Eleanor Rawling was flagged up for me by David Lambert in a recent conversation where I talked about some of the curriculum changes I'd seen.

It describes the changes that took place in school geography between 1980 and 2000 - the era when I trained as a teacher and then started teaching.

I purchased a copy from Amazon second hand, which turned out to have been withdrawn from the Edward Boyle Library at the University of Leeds.

Eleanor, a former GA President of course, describes the various policy decisions at national level which influenced the shape of the National Curriculum in the mid 80s, with its many many attainment targets, which were turned into double page spreads by David Waugh and Tony Bushell in the ubiquitous 'Key Geography' series.

The book was published by the Geographical Association, and the acknowledgements section mentions a whole list of former GA Presidents who were also involved in its production, particularly Richard Daugherty and also in the contents as they were a big part of discussions around the time of the development of the National Curriculum.

More to come once I've had a chance to digest it further...

A chance to be the next Chief Executive of the GA

A chance for an exciting new role for someone in 2024.

Full details here.

We now seek a new Chief Executive to provide strategic leadership of the GA and its passionate, professional staff team of 18, based at the Association’s headquarters in Sheffield. This is a strategic role for a collaborative leader to shape and drive the development and implementation of the Association’s strategic vision. 

Our current Strategic Plan comes to an end in 2025, giving you the opportunity to work closely with trustees and members to build on past achievements and identify and develop new opportunities to enable the Association to thrive into the 2030s.

Denise on the move

Denise Freeman has now completed the first third of her GA Presidency for 20223-4.

She said:

Advocating for geography education sits at the heart of what the GA stands for and what we do as a community. As President I have placed advocacy at the centre of my work. Over the current academic year I will be travelling to different parts of the UK and meeting those involved in all stages of geography education.

As part of the Presidential cycle I am currently a trustee of the GA. Being a trustee is a great way to actively support and contribute to the Association. I am currently busy working with other trustees to recruit our next Chief Executive.

Another aspect of ‘life at the GA’ is the great work and dedication shown by our special interest groups and phase committees. Over the past term, I have been privileged to attend many meetings for these groups. Thank you to all the volunteers who give up their time to support the Association through these groups and their activities.

Finally, as we head into 2024, my attention is increasingly turning to our Annual Conference. The theme is ‘Geography for Everyone’ and I can’t wait to explore this with all who attend. Do get your early bird tickets here.

A special ESRI StoryMap has been created to trace her travels to various parts of the country: north, south, east and west.

A change of Chief Executive

This blog has traced the history of the GA's Governance, including the change to a structure which included a Chief Executive.

A recent important change was announced.

Alan Kinder is stepping down as Chief Executive after 11 years in the role. 

Alan’s last working day at the GA will be Thursday 21 December 2023. Best wishes of course to Alan for his new role, and heartfelt thanks for all that he has achieved in that time. This will be an interesting period for the GA. 

In a recent update in the Newsletter we learned:

Alan will be taking up a new, dual role early in 2024, as Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Studies Association and General Manager of RSA Europe.

During his time at the GA, Alan crafted two strategic plans (covering the periods 2014–19 and 2020–2025), led the successful implementation of the 2014–19 plan and ensured the GA further developed under its current strategic plan. 

This work focused on bringing geography teachers together, meeting their professional needs, raising the profile of the Association and advocating for high-quality geographical education. It underpinned a doubling of GA membership between 2012 and 2023 and significant growth in the number of schools and teachers engaged with the GA, particularly through its professional development events and social media activities.

Alan represented the GA and the interests of the geography teaching community on national and international stages throughout his time in post, providing expert advice to (amongst others) the Department for Education, Ofsted and Ofqual. 

Through his advocacy work and the extensive body of professional advice and support material he authored on behalf of the GA and its partner organisations, Alan exerted a considerable influence on the curriculum and professional practice we see in geography education today. His recent work to develop a GA Framework for the school geography curriculum will continue to shape the nature and scope of the geography curriculum in the years ahead.

GA Chief Executive Alan Kinder said:

“As a former teacher of geography, it has been the most enormous honour and privilege to have served as the GA’s Chief Executive for more than eleven years. This is a vibrant community, supporting a vital part of every young person’s education. 

Teachers of geography deserve the assistance of an independent subject association, focused squarely on their needs and interests, and I hope I have been able to play a role in representing and supporting teachers effectively during my time in post. 

As I begin to prepare for the exciting professional challenges that lie ahead for me, I’m confident that the GA will use its current strategy as a strong foundation for further progress in the years ahead.”

The search for Alan's replacement is underway.

In the meantime, the leadership of the Association will be shared amongst a number of people in important SLT roles at Solly Street along with several prominent volunteers (and former GA Presidents).

Professor Alastair Owens, the Chair of Trustees shared the news on the plans for continuity of leadership.

Interim leadership arrangements

I am delighted to announce that Elaine Anderson (Head of Publishing), Alex Forsyth (Finance and Operations Manager), and Becky Kitchen (Head of Professional Development) have agreed to share the responsibilities of the Chief Executive role until a new Chief Executive is in post. 

I am also pleased to share that John Hopkin, current Honorary Treasurer of the GA and a former President, has agreed to provide mentorship and support of the acting Chief Executive team, ensuring that there is co-ordination of their roles and responsibilities.

I am very grateful to Elaine, Alex and Becky for agreeing to provide leadership and continuity at this time of transition. Collectively they bring a wide range of skills, know the Association very well, and are already focused on the leadership and delivery of our strategic priorities. During their period of leadership any communications for the attention of the Chief Executive should be addressed to ChiefExec@geography.org.uk so that it can be allocated to the individual with relevant responsibilities.

I am also grateful to John who will bring great wisdom and longstanding GA experience to his advisory and mentoring role.

Search for a new Chief Executive

The GA’s Board of Trustees has established a search committee to oversee the appointment of a new Chief Executive. Following a selection process, the committee has recently contracted the recruitment agency Peridot to assist in this process. 

An advertisement and ‘job pack’ are currently being prepared and will be shared shortly; we encourage members to further share this with any individuals they think suited to the role. Please feel free to write to me at a.j.owens@qmul.ac.uk if you have suggestions for candidates. We hope to have the new Chief Executive in post by the summer of next year.

I am grateful to the entire GA community – our members, those who run our committees, special interest groups and branches, the dedicated staff who work in Sheffield, the trustees and our partners and collaborators – for their continued support and commitment during this period of transition. As we approach the end of the year, I wish everyone a restful and happy holiday period.

Prof Alastair Owens - Chair of Trustees, The Geographical Association

Spring Conferences in the 1950s and 1960s

More images of finds in the GA Archive in Solly Street. I need to spend some more time exploring these documents to see who was involved in presenting the sessions and any other secondary details locked away in their contents... All I had time to do was capture their front cover showing the different venues and Presidents overseeing them e.g. the Spring Conference of 1962 was hosted by Stanley Henry Beaver at Keele University.

These are the front covers of some of the programmes from back in the day. Part of the albums on my Flickr account.

Also a Summer School brochure. Another initiative that no longer takes place. These were organised from the GA's HQ at the time: the Park Branch Library. In 1959, they took place in Spain and Switzerland.

Domesday Discs - 1986

The BBC's Domesday Disc project appeared in 1986.

It involved students collecting data, and adding to a digital laser disc the size of an old LP, which was read using a special reader, and navigated using a tracker ball which could be rotated by the hands. The final product was quite costly to purchase - a real investment for a school. I believe the price included the BBC Micro that was required to run the associated software and hardware.

Initially estimated to require the involvement of 10,000 schools and about one million children, the intention was to make the role of schools central in a data gathering project that would assign each school to a geographical area, have parents and local societies collect data, with the schools "acting as a focus and providing the computer". Questionnaires about geography, amenities and land use were to be completed, with school pupils and other contributors also able to write about their local area and "the issues affecting them" in their own words

Source: Wikipedia

As with the Land Utilisation Surveys of Stamp and Coleman, students were involved in its production and data collection, and it was a BBC project aimed at commemorating the 900th anniversary of the original 'Domesday' survey of 1086 ordered by William the First of England.

I still have one of the discs - although not the player and tracker ball to make use of it. There was an also an EcoDisc based on Slapton Ley which we also had in my geography department.

This website provides further details on the project.

There is an article from former GA President Margaret Roberts on the use of the Community Disc in an issue of 'Teaching Geography' from 1990. An early contribution to TG from Margaret.

I remember some external organisation coming in and filming me demonstrating the discs - I wonder what that was for, and whether it still exists somewhere - it would be wonderful to see it as I was fresh into my teaching career....

References:

Roberts, Margaret. “Locations, Lines and Areas: Exploring the Community Disc in the BBC Domesday System.” Teaching Geography, vol. 15, no. 1, 1990, pp. 17–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23752172. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

National Archives detail: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16160

https://www.atsf.co.uk/dottext/domesday.html

Some of the resources that came from the project:

Research Paper (Open Access)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232993632_The_Domesday_Project--an_educational_review

The BBC later produced two further discs: an EcoDisc and one on Volcanoes.

I remember seeing them both - and also the very detailed instruction manuals.

A web based version existed for a while with an update for places in 2011. It's now on the National Archive site.

And a video of it in action:

Keen to hear from anyone who has memories of using the BBC Domesday Discs.

Aerial Intelligence in WWII

There have been several GA Presidents who have been revealed as working in aerial intelligence during the Second World War. This is explored in their entries.

For example, Michael Wise graduated in 1939, and served in the Army in Europe and the Middle East during the Second World War, reaching the rank of Major and was awarded the Military Cross.

Wise was awarded the Military Cross for his conduct in the fierce battle of the Argenta Gap in April 1945 (see Jackson and Gleave 1988). His company’s forward ground was overrun by a surprise enemy attack and its headquarters were under threat. The citation for his medal refers to his ‘calm and confident bearing … [as] an inspiration to all members of his company, and his manner of dealing with a most difficult and dangerous situation is beyond praise’. 

During the war of 1939–45, intelligence was gleaned from aerial photographs by a newly founded organization that developed into the Allied Central Interpretation Unit. This was based primarily at Danesfield House (known as Royal Air Force Medmenham) some 50 km west of London, in Buckinghamshire.

David Leslie Linton gets a mention here. I know that he was involved in suggesting launch sites for the 'V1 and V2' weapons.

Work at Medmenham, although important for the war effort, required interpreters familiar with aerial photographs rather than geology as such – but geology did assist the search for storage sites for ‘V’ weapons, terrain interpretation for the 1944 Allied landings in Normandy, and in guiding plans to bomb German industrial complexes hidden underground.

W G V Balchin wrote a useful summary which I have mentioned in a previous blogpost. He mentioned some of those involved and why geographers were useful.

Geography has always been vital to the prosecution of war, in three ways: first, intelligence is critical; secondly logistics (geographical factors influence the deployment of men, materials and firepower); thirdly, in action (geographical factors enter in decisions on the disposition of forces, where to attack or defend, what routes to follow, where to land invasion craft and so on.

References

Balchin, W. G. V. “United Kingdom Geographers in the Second World War: A Report.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 153, no. 2, 1987, pp. 159–80. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/634869. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

https://www.proquest.com/openview/a4b517a601813d3c3c3fc825fb1fb8fb/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818801 - Linton's work

World War One.

Charles Close was of course involved in World War I.

In Great Britain, a Topographical Section, later renamed Geographical Section, was assigned to the general staff in 1904 (Geographical Section, General Staff or GSGS). Until 1911, this section was headed by Charles Frederick Close (1865-1952), who reformed organisation and training based on his experiences of surveying in India; after that, he took over as Director General of the Ordnance Survey.

The OS remembers the staff it lost every Remembrance Sunday.

BAAS Publication

It was only when I started reading about the range of GA Presidents who were involved with the British Association (for the Advancement of Science) Section Committees that I remembered a dog-eared publication I bought some time ago from a second hand bookshop in Norwich.

I can't see any names involved in its production that are also closely linked to the GA on this occasion. It includes a nice map of Norfolk though.

Dudley Stamp's maps revisited

Thanks to Steve Brace for the link to a new research project making use of Dudley Stamp's Land Utilisation Survey UK project.

We scanned Dudley Stamp maps & compared them with modern satellite data to record the extent of land-use change across Britain in mid-20thC. Our map outlines land conversion for every 10km x 10km sq. @andysuggitt & @AGAuffret#geographyteachers #NEA https://t.co/UIEk3Sw9Lj

— Steve Brace (@SteveBraceGeog) November 5, 2023

The full piece in 'The Conversation' explores a new project. 

Our answer was to use the detailed maps that a huge army of volunteer citizen scientists (many were schoolchildren!) collected under the leadership of Sir Dudley Stamp in the 1930s/40s. His team visited every county of Britain, noting down the land-use of the time... 🗺️(3/17). pic.twitter.com/2PVljhHbA2

— Andy Suggitt (@andysuggitt) November 1, 2023

The outcomes are reported in this research paper. (Open Access at the time of posting).

We estimate that roughly 90% of lowland meadow and pasture has been lost. Land was converted either to arable farmland, which saw a 22% increase, or to agriculturally improved grassland, which now occupies 27% of Britain’s land area.

Urbanisation saw the nation’s built area expand from 4% to 5%. And woodland cover doubled from 6% to 12%, largely due to a concerted effort to increase the country’s reserve of timber. For better or worse, the nation’s land use became less mixed and more consolidated.

All of this environmental change is thought to have had a profound effect on biodiversity. According to the recent State of Nature Report, the abundance of UK species has declined by an average of 19% since 1970. Some 1,500 species (or 16% of those analysed) are now threatened with national extinction.

The full piece outlines further changes affecting particular species.

All the maps are available for free download.

Our answer was to use the detailed maps that a huge army of volunteer citizen scientists (many were schoolchildren!) collected under the leadership of Sir Dudley Stamp in the 1930s/40s. His team visited every county of Britain, noting down the land-use of the time... 🗺️(3/17). pic.twitter.com/2PVljhHbA2

— Andy Suggitt (@andysuggitt) November 1, 2023