Our very own geology expert, Rich, is delivering a short tailored Geology Course which includes four workshops. Exploring geological concepts on a different theme each month; Rocks, Time, Life and Structures – linking back to the geology of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark.
Time – dating objects
The second session in January focussed on the theme; time. We learnt how we can date rocks using relative dating by comparing the rock to other rocks in order to decide if it is older or younger. Another method we learnt was ‘absolute dating’ where we measure the physical properties such as radioactive isotopes (radiocarbon dating, K-Ar, uranium) of the object itself and use these measurements to calculate it’s age. If you want to read into this more please visit; https://archaeology.ncdcr.gov/blog/2021-04-14/relative-absolute-dating
Below you can watch one of the videos from the session, which will take you through time by showing you the movements of the plate tectonics from 540Ma to the Modern time.
Life – Charles Darwin’s Finches
Last weekend the focus was on ‘life’ and with enthusiasm, Rich talked about Charles Darwin’s Finches. Charles didn’t realize it at the time, but the most important specimens that he brought back from the Galapagos were finches. Once back in England ornithologists John Gould examined the finches and discovered that Charles had brought back 13 different species of finch, and they were all unique to the Galapagos. This realization played a significant role in Darwin’s formulation of his theory of evolution. The most important differences between the finches were their beaks – some were small whilst others were large. The common theme was the availability to catch food. Their distinctive beaks being an adaptation to distinct natural habitats or environmental niches.
We launched the CIC in April, we could not believe that our social media accounts have grown in such a steady way and that more people followed us month after month. It was, and still is very exciting! Below is an extract of projects which we have done throughout 2021. Please don’t forget we also have podcast which you can find either here on our website, or on Apple or Spotify podcasts.
Our first project was to create a heritage map of Chelston so our friends and neighbours can explore the heritage of their local area. Ps. Let us know in the comments if you would like a physical copy, we have plenty which we’re happy to share.
For ‘Medieval Masterchef’ and ‘Terrible Tales of Torre Abbey’ we collaborated with Torre Abbey. Medieval Masterchef was a series of short films which we recorded on the grounds of Torre Abbey. Terrible Tales was a guided walk where we shared stories focusing on the more spooky and supernatural elements that have grown up around the site of the Abbey.
We also took part in the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, where we chose the square SX6061, which is on the edge of Dartmoor a few kilometres north of Cornwood. We visited the square and recorded what plant species were there. Our square was heavily grazed, and we only found four species there: gorse, wavy hair-grass, tormentil, and heath bedstraw.
National Plant Monitoring Scheme
We were very excited to become Associate Members of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. This year we have held a Geology course and Geology Walks around Torbay which have been very successful with over 60 people attending so far.
Introducing the next of our new Associate Members – Taleblazers CIC, a social enterprise which promotes and celebrates folklore, natural history and heritage, particularly in the Torbay and South Devon area.
— English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark (@RivieraGeopark) July 29, 2021
An incredibly interesting geological walk around several hundred millions of years of earth formations. Discovering coral reefs within rocks by the seashore, laid down 400 Mill yrs ago when Torbay had tropical seas. Thanks Richard @TaleblazersUKhttps://t.co/yspGMjeBtQ
In December we celebrated the Lightplay openings at the #RoyalTerraceGardens in Torquay. We were talking about William Pengelly, a local geologist and amateur archeologist, who excavated Kent’s Cavern and gave a crash course on the geology of the Bay.
Taleblazers has worked closely with Torre Abbey to produce a series of Medieval Masterchef videos.
It was a day in August when we went to Torre Abbey to film a series of videos for the Heritage Open Days. The Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, bringing together people and organisations to celebrate heritage, community and history. We had so much fun filming these videos at Torre Abbey with plenty of laughter and a good few re-takes. The Merry Monk introduces you to four repulsive recipes from the Medieval times. These vile videos have been made for educational entertainment and, even if you really want to, we do not encourage you to recreate them at home.
The weather was nice and the spirit was on top. Kate helped us by setting the scene she even made a hedgehog, a swan, and a rooster. The sheep was borrowed from Torre Abbey. However, we would like to point out that all animal participated freely and no one was hurt. Please see the four videos below:
We would like to thank Kate and Matt at Torre Abbey and Heather from Torquay Museum.
Do you know where the Bigge Fountain is located in Chelston? Where the home of Chelston’s first fire station was? Or who built Cockington primary school in 1892?
Taleblazers have been busy with our Chelston Heritage Map project, for which we received funding for from the Torbay Small Grants Lottery Fund and the Localgiving – Magic Little Grants. We had been researching places in Chelston to feature on our map and engaged the community to have their say on which historical places of Chelston to include. We started to draw multiple versions of the map and write up the text to go with it and we are pleased to say that we are nearly there. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic we had to delay the launch and we hope to have our launch day in the late summer or early autumn. The Chelston Heritage Map day would be a chance for the community to walk around Chelston on a free guided tour where we will share the history and story about the selected places. If you are interested in this guided walk, please email us at;rich@taleblazers.org.uk
Once we have a launch day, we will share this information with you all and in order for us to keep the numbers suitable you will be able to book onto the free event via Eventbrite. We aim to run 3 guided walks on the launch day for up to 12 individuals per walk. An additional of 3 free walks will be added on Eventbrite in the autumn in case you missed the walks on our launch day.
The pictures below are from some of the places we have picked for the Chelston Heritage Map, can you spot where they are in Chelston?
Chelston, Torquay
Finally, we hope you are enjoying the last bit of summer sunshine and that you will come along to our launch day!
What a beautiful weekend it has been and we were celebrating Trails Day which took place on Saturday the 5th.
What is Trails Day you may wonder? Well, in 1968 American president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Trails Act into law which established a network of trails for people to use. Trails Day celebrates the explored and the unexplored by getting out into nature to discover and to rediscover. This could be by walking, hiking, cycling or on a horse back. For example, we have the South West Coast Path which one could follow to discover hidden gems and beautiful views.
Taleblazers is a CIC which focus children and young people as well as the communities of Dartmoor and south Devon, we are passionate about storytelling and the outdoors. In April, we were awarded our first grant from the Torbay Small Grants Lottery Fund for our project the Chelston Heritage Map. Our own trail which you could walk. We have been researching places in Chelston to feature on the map, we have drawn multiple versions and we have engaged the community of Chelston to have their say on which historical places of Chelston to include. We are soon to launch this project so stay tuned!
Did you know that forests cover 31 percent of the global land area, the tallest tree in the world is called Hyperion or that spending time in a forest is good for our physical and mental wellbeing as it boosts our immune system, lowers blood pressure and promotes relaxation?
What was your favourite experience in a forest? Maybe you have seen an elk bathing in a lake in the middle of a forest, gone forest bathing during a summer day, heard a woodpecker or built a hut out of branches?
We will be posting some images of our favourite forests on our Instagram account through the day so if you haven’t found us already please take a look and follow us there!
Poetry can inspire, encourage, educate and it can also change the perspective of how we see the world. However, as we become more digital, we are to some extent losing touch with the art of poetry. Therefore, we would like to acknowledge the World Poetry Day. One of the most famous poems is begins “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, which is the first sentence in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.
Which is your favourite poem? Which poem can you recite word for word? Maybe you are good at writing a haiku? Let us know in the comments below.
The fantastic image above was created by Karen Cropper and used under a Creative Commons license. Yes, we know it says 2014 but we still love it! The original is here. Thanks Karen for allowing us to use this image.
