My time with the Jurassic Coast Team is sadly coming to an end. I joined Dorset County Council in May 2010 as the Jurassic Coast Pathfinder Support Officer before becoming the Education Coordinator with the team in September 2011 for a year’s post covering maternity leave.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two and a half years working on various projects, community engagement programmes and at many different events with the team. I think it’s safe to say that I will never look at cliffs, rocks and fossils in the same way! I am now on to pastures new and will be starting a one year research post with the Dorset Coast Forum on the Valmer project, investigating the value of marine ecosystems which I am really looking forward to.
It’s hard to pick out the best bits of my time with the Jurassic Coast Team as there have been so many but I thought I’d share a couple with you:
• My first fossil hunting trip to Charmouth in November 2010. Alas, I didn’t find the big pristine pyrite ammonite I was looking for but the excitement that I could at any moment made me feel like a child again
• The 2012 Fossil Festival: the bunting, the atmosphere and the people
• Meeting David Attenborough at the Pliosaur launch at Dorset County Museum. I wasn’t really prepared and was a little bit speechless but was very thrilled to meet him
• Meeting Jedward…
• Working with over 4,000 primary and secondary school children. I think I could write a book with the number of funny anecdotes and questions I’ve been asked about the Jurassic Coast and dinosaurs, one of which I will share with you now:
Me: ‘If the land we now live on was once under a massive sea during the Jurassic time period, where did that sea go?’
Pupil: ‘The animals drank it?’
Alexandria Potter.
