For the last couple of years, Forth Naturalist and Historian have organised Wildlife Forums, bringing together a wide range of local groups working on the natural environment.

This year there is to be a Heritage Forum, bringing together groups interested in history, archaeology and other related issues. A wide attendance from groups across Central Scotland (Stirling, Clacks and Falkirk areas) is promised. Each group will have a stall. It is a chance to find out what others are doing and to see what is on offer. The event will be at the Smith Museum, Dumbarton Rd, Stirling and the doors open at 10am.


Stirling Local History Society will be there. We will have the website running 'live', the Stirling graveyards and gravestones booklet will be available, a chance to join or to find out more. And we are looking forward to meeting members of other groups and societies.

The event is FREE and you can just turn up - though please do not bring a stall unless you have made arrangements in advance! Find out what is going on which group most appeals to you or investigate if your group could benefit by working with others.

SLHF will hold a meeting on trades, guild and craft organisations in Glasgow on 31  October. This will be combined with the AGM and it looks like being an interesting day with  a chance to visit the  Glasgow Trades Hall in the Merchant City.

You can download further details and a booking form here.

A Conference with this title will be held in the Smith Art Gallery and Museum on Saturday 31 August.

This is a FREE EVENT though there will be a collection towards the cost of the venue; OWN LUNCH but the Smith has an excellent cafe.

Speakers will include SLHS members John Harrison and Stephen Digney.

The event is hosted by the King's Park History Group, an independent group of specialists recognised by Historic Scotland. ALL WELCOME.

The conference  comes  at a critical time, when the future ownership and management of these major landscapes is under discussion. it provides the first ever opportunity to look at the landscapes in their wider, historical contextt.

The local importance of these landscapes is obvious; for leisure, for tourism, for views, for wildlife. Culturally, they are important at a European level, rare survivors of the royal past.

So, whatever your interests, come along, listen and contribute.

You can download  the flyer here. For fuller details, including speakers and times,  click here.

This year being the Year of Natural Scotland, this annual event (formerly known as the Man and the Landscape Symposium) will concentrate on wildllife issues.
This will not mean that history is overlooked, however, as the emphasis is on how our local environment and wildlife has changed over the last 40 years or so and on how that is reflected in the pages of Forth Naturalist and Historian.  So, with a range from fish to birds, from raptors to mammals, and with general overviews as well, there will be plenty to ponder.

As usual the event will he held at Stirling University and you can get further details and the booking form here.

News arrives of a workshop at the Map Library in Edinburgh.

This year's LocScot Dayschool focusses attention on one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of the local studies researcher - the map.

The day's sessions will give an overview of the history of mapping, will look at working with maps specifically for local studies research, and of the practicalities of curating collections of these materials. A variety of types of map will be looked at (beyond the well-known OS maps) which all provide different types of information and are of interest to researchers in a wide spectrum of fields. The more technical aspects of cataloguing/classification/metadata/finding aids/storage/conservation will be looked at too, to provide guidance and assistance in dealing with these special collections materials. The day will also look at digital mapping and map resources available online, and the impact that these can have in the field of local studies.

It should be of interest to anyone working/researching in local studies; to those who are responsible for map collections as part of a wider remit; and to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of this extremely useful material.

Tea/coffee will be available at registration and a sandwich lunch will be provided.

This event is free to LOCSCOT members, and is available to non-members at the bargain rate of £3 (as a contribution towards catering costs). Non-members: please register using the Non-Member ticket option and pay on the day.

The Dayschool will take place at the National Library of Scotland’s Causewayside Building (159 Causewayside, Edinburgh, EH9 1PH) on the 24th of April 2013, from 1000 to 1600.

Please register for this event at: http://locscot2013.eventbrite.co.uk/

On 24th May at 7pm at the new Raploch Community Campus Drs Fraser Hunter and Richard Tipping will describe the Blairdrummond horde of Iron Age gold and its environmental context.
All are welcome and the event is free. It is sponsored by Forth Naturalist and History, well-known for many years for the journal and for the annual symposium but now expanding and relaunching as a membership body.
There will be a short AGM to launch the group's new stage but the illustrated talks will be a real highlight. This find must interest lots of local people - whether they have yet had a chance to see the gold itself in the National Museums in Edinburgh.
So, come along for a free evening out- meet others who are interested in similar things and find out how modern science can unravel ancient mysteries!

Another of this series of gatherings organised by post-graduate students. I was very pleased to be able to attend one in Glasgow back in March and will certainly try to get to this. The keynote speaker will be the vivacious Dr Katie Stevenson, University of St Andrews, whose book on chivalry in Scotland has certainly widened my view of this important topic. The Call for Papers is attached. 

Some weeks ago we flagged this up as a forthcoming event. The outline details are now available for the meeting, to be held in Maryhill Burgh Halls in Glasgow. The flyer is attached - but note that there is still space for new proposals.