Geoparc Calon Cymru/Heart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025
Heart of Wales Geopark/Geoparc Calon Cymru
Charity number 1208355
Trustees’ Annual Report for 2025
1
Geoparc Calon Cymru/Heart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025
Heart of Wales Geopark/Geoparc Calon Cymru is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), charity number 1208355.
Its registered address is Chatsworth, Spa Road, Llandrindod, LD1 5EY.
The charity currently has eight trustees:
Dr. Joseph Peter Botting (Geopark Chair) Dr. Lucy Anne Muir Robert Frank Loveridge Victoria Douel Cllr. Pete Roberts Michelle Thomas (Geopark Treasurer) Xenia Alexandra Warren Berwyn Francis Powell (Geopark Secretary).
The charity was set up in May 2024, and officially launched on 27 July 2024. The charity’s accounting year runs from 1 January to 31 December. We do not have a membership model, but are rather based on a committee of trustees who are the decision makers, together with additional volunteers.
The aims of the charity are to advance the education of the public in the geology of the BuilthLlandrindod Inlier and surrounding areas, its importance and its influences on the biodiversity, landscape, and heritage of the local area. We do this by providing educational materials and resources including information boards, website content, self-guided walks and running volunteer-led events, as well as facilitating research and scientific collaboration.
The Geopark provides educational material, and publicises Geopark events, on its website (https://heartofwalesgeopark.org.uk/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HeartofWalesGeopark).
The main event held by the Geopark in 2025 was an international conference, as part of the UNESCO International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP Project 735: Rocks and the Rise of Ordovician Life). A total of 38 scientists from 12 countries were present. This included visitors from the USA, Estonia, Lithuania and six visitors from China. The research results were presented in 13 poster presentations, 19 oral presentations, and 6 keynote talks, addressing diverse early Palaeozoic fossil groups and palaeogeography. All contributions fell under the overarching theme of the conference: the phenomenon of Konservat-Lagerstätten and exceptional preservation. The conference was structured as alternating days of indoor presentations, and field visits to the now-famous Castle Bank locality, sites within Llandrindod, and the Elan Valley. The last day of the conference consisted of workshops on two important but understudied fossil groups: sponges and bivalved arthropods. We also introduced the conference
2
Geoparc Calon Cymru/Heart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025
attendees to some aspects of Welsh culture, including a concert by the Builth Male Voice Choir; a folk music session at the Llanerch Inn, Llandrindod; a visit to St. Michael’s Church Cefnllys and Cefnllys Castle; and a visit to the Pales Quaker Meeting House.
This conference took up an enormous amount of volunteers' time, despite additional help by a Scientific Committee of palaeontologists based at Amgueddfa Cymru, Cardiff and the University of Exeter, who helped to organise the sessions and decide on disbursement of grants to support young researchers with little funding. The result was a truly memorable week, with with feedback from delegates such as 'magical' and 'extraordinary', and it truly did showcase the extraordinary local geology to a global audience of specialists. Most of the delegates were aware of at least some of the fossils from the area of the geopark, but the conference allowed us to introduce it to them properly, and place everything into the unique context that we were created to celebrate.
That was the largest event of the year, but by no means the only one, and most of our activities were not aimed at academics. The 2025 Geopark AGM was held on 12 April 2025 at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod. Before the AGM, Dr. Lucy McCobb, Senior Curator of Palaeontology at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, gave a presentation on trilobites.
Other Geopark public events held in 2025 included two fossil handling sessions at the Radnorshire Museum/Llandrindod Library, on 25 February and 28 October. Guided walks through several parts of the Geopark were carried out: one in the Shaky Bridge area on the geology and archaeology on 5 May; a Llandrindod town geowalk on 10 August; and a walk along the Wye from Builth Wells to Penddol Rocks on 12 August, as a collaboration with Radnor Wildlife Trust. In addition, Lucy Muir gave a talk about the Geopark to Whitton WI on 5 August. Most of these in-person events were for small groups, but more than 200 people attended geopark events in total, in 2025.
As ever, most of the work that is done is behind the scenes, setting a foundation for more developments in future. Work on getting information about the geopark out to the public continued in 2025. Information on rocks at Llandrindod Lake and the Temple Street erratic were passed to Powys County Council as a basis for information boards. A new leaflet on trilobites (one of the iconic fossils of the Geopark) was produced and printed, with generous support from the Llandrindod Town Council. Work on other leaflets, including graptolites, a general leaflet about the geopark, and the building stones of Llandrindod and Builth, have also been progressed, and work on the website continued.
We wish to formally acknowledge at this point the support and public enthusiasm that we have encountered at every turn. It has been truly wonderful to see the response of the local community, businesses, and community and town councils, who all see the value in celebrating
3
Geoparc Calon Cymru/Heart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025
this incredible local heritage. The publicity we received from local media was also enormously appreciated, and we continue to appear in the local newspapers on a regular basis.
In the coming year we aim to build on what we have achieved to date, to expand the range of events and resources we can offer. This will include the first information boards, the beginning a network of self-guided walks, and much more besides.
Volunteer hours
The total volunteer hours contributed during 2025 has been recorded as 1203 hours.
Financial report
Our accounts for 2025 are relatively straightforward. We received £127 in donations, £1150 in grant funding, and £6630 from organising the IGCP735 meeting, while spending £7849 over the course of the year. Grant funding was received from the Newydd Housing Association (£750) to purchase a laptop and digital USB microscope for use at public engagement events; Llandrindod Wells Town Council (£300) for translating and printing of leaflets; and Cllr. Jamie Jones (£100) towards the cost of purchasing a projector for use at public engagement events. The Geopark’s main expenses in 2025 were the costs of the IGCP735 meeting and purchase of equipment. The income and outgoings from the conferences were kept separate from the rest of the geopark accounts, so that it was a self-contained set of finances, and this formed the main part of our financial transactions for the year.
We currently have no debts.
We have a reserve policy that at this stage sets aside £250; this will be reassessed annually, as our income and expenditure increase.
We do not have any funds held as a custodian trustee.
Note that our total income is less than £25,000, and as such there is no need for an external audit.
4
Geoparc Calon cYMreart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025 Signed by Dr Joseph P Botting 24)2(
Geoparc Calon cYMreart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025 LAIOfy ivAIE4 HEART OF WALES GEOPARK- GEOPARC CALON CYMRU RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS YEAR-ENDING: 31 D•c•mb•r 2020 31 D•c•mbw 2024 INCOME £ix £1.150. £Q.(K £6.W. £ox £788.50 QIAnt8 RK•hd- Unmlrlci•d £O.LbJ £0. £357. TOTAL INCOME £7.K6.•3 £1,145.50 EXPENDITURE £0. to. Lond8 Co•1 ofFundrnWry VJCP73SWg1•• 2025 £0.00 £41.80 £0 26.558m £1.OYJ.iK) £31.18 É157.CQ £o.Tr) Irournr £1J24 £o.o) £12XI £o.o) £0. £o.r•) Vdunt•ar Tralnlty TOTAL EXPENLXTURE £7M4923 8URPLU8 1 (DEFEC FOR THE YEAR £0•1.f4
Geoparc Calon cYMreart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025 HEART OF WALES GEOPARK- GEOPARC CALON CYMRU STATEMENT OF ASSETS & UABILMES YEAR4NDING: 31 D•cemb•r 2026 31 D•¢•mb•r 2024 CA8H FUNDS Cash At eathk Cash M fid s14 £97.48 £949A2 £85527 TOTAL TOIAL A88Ef8 I{uLmE1Tr Pr•pAr•d by. Tru•l••l Tr•A•ur•r Chk•d by. Or Lucy P* r2TrL6 l. The Gywk rK4 antwod Inb) •rry 2. T Iw no Lxtsl•ThJ detts•t th•and fAthkn pwltrl. 4. FunduvJ- W A
Geoparc Calon cYMreart of Wales Geopark Annual Report 2025