The
Geographer
NEWS People • Places • Planet
New RSGS HQ
Geddes Film
Patrick Geddes’s
legacy is as
potent today as
it has ever been.
A documentary
film, exploring
his contemporary
relevance and
message is now in
production.
Geddes’s ability to
’make connections‘
was and is one
of his greatest
strengths. He
believed that our
closer involvement
with art and nature,
in particular, greater
understanding of
our inner selves,
our cultural “roots”
and the way that
we, as human
beings, relate to
each other and
our surroundings,
is essential for
individuals and
communities to
thrive and to realise
their potential in
every sense.
This was evident
in his work as the
‘father of planning’,
both in Scotland
and as far afield as
Palestine and India.
The RSGS has
contributed £500
and Edinburghbased film maker,
Eric Robinson will
start filming in
April.
If you’d like to
know more about
this film, and how
you can support it,
please contact the
producer, Alastair
Guild.
NEWS People • Places • Planet
New Projects Manager
Bird of prey and related poisoning in
Scotland, 1999-2008
We are pleased to welcome a new
member of staff, Susan Watt, who
joined the Society in January as
Projects Manager. Susan will help
particularly with fundraising for
the Fair Maid’s House and other
important educational projects, though she will also
support the broad work of the small team.
The refurbishment of the Lord John Murray House, to provide
the Society with a permanent headquarters, has taken rather
longer than expected, and the staff have learned more than they
thought they would about joinery, central heating, carpet laying and
decorating! The good news is that the result is excellent and the
work will be within budget.
Along with the staff, our Chairman, Barrie Brown, enjoyed meeting
those Members who took the time to visit our new HQ on the open
days, and was delighted to have the reassurance that all of the
visitors liked what had been done with the building. Fundraising
continues to be crucial to letting us complete the whole project, and
a special mention must go to the lady Member from Stirling who
brought with her a cheque and then duly completed the first Gift Aid
Form of 2009, allowing us to receive an additional 28% from HM
Revenue & Customs.
Other members have also generously donated towards some of the
important finishing touches. In particular, there are four key pieces
of furniture which will adorn the main meeting room of the new
headquarters, and we are grateful to those who recently offered to
pay for the sideboard and the bespoke graphic image for the wall.
If anyone would like to contribute to any of the other items, please
contact Susan Watt at HQ.
In preparing their report ,
SNH followed a set of guiding
principles laid out in their Report
on the proposal for a National
Park in the Cairngorms (2001),
including:
• the boundary should follow
an easily distinguishable and
permanent natural feature;
• owns and villages and their
t
surrounding communities
should be either wholly included
or excluded from the Park;
• onsideration should be given to
c
the impact of the boundary on
land management operations;
• eatures liable to change should
f
be avoided;
• ivers and burns are unsuitable
r
as legal boundaries because
they can change their courses ¸