Jurassic Coast Ambassador Julian Sawyer has delivered a series of talks for young people undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential in Dorset with Jurassic Coast Business Partner Cumulus Outdoors. Purbeck-based Cumulus Outdoors donated £1 from each person in attendance to the Jurassic Coast Trust, helping to preserve the coastline for future generations to enjoy.
Julian is an accomplished photographer with Purbeck Footprints, a walks leader and keen fossil enthusiast, and inspired young people from all across the country with his personal take on Dorset’s famous World Heritage Coastline. He said of his experiences:
“As an Isle of Purbeck based wildlife photographer and walk leader, the Jurassic Coast plays a very important part of my working day and it is a subject that I am always keen to talk about. With this in mind I jumped at the chance to meet groups of young people working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and talk about the Jurassic Trust, the coast, its geology and the fossils that are found here.
These groups are made up of up to sixteen people, aged between 16 and 18, from all parts of the country and all with different interests. The talks are very informal and vary from week to week depending mainly on how tired the kids are after their activities with Cumulus Outdoors, but give a brief timeline of events to illustrate just how this wonderful piece of coastline was formed.
Photographs and a handy white-board are used as well as several boxes of fossils collected from all parts of the Jurassic coast. One of the ‘highlights’ was playing “Guess the Fossil” using a very nicely-shaped crocodile coprolite! The best quote from that was “I hope it has been washed!”
I knew I would enjoy the talks, but I have also been very impressed by the calibre of the young people that I have met; they really have been a pleasure to be involved with. I have been booked for several more Jurassic Coast talks in 2017 and am really looking forward to working with Cumulus Outdoors again.”
Cumulus Outdoors’ customers are also able to give an optional £1 donation to the Jurassic Coast Trust when booking coasteering, climbing and abseiling activities. Through a combination of these donations and contributions from Duke of Edinburgh attendees, Cumulus have raised over £300 for the Trust this year, and plan to raise even more in 2017.
Cheque presentation from Steve Thompson of Cumulus Outdoors to Katie Thomson of the Jurassic Coast Team with Julian Sawyer of Purbeck Footprints.
Cumulus’ Steve Thompson sees it as part of the company’s commitment to looking after the local environment: “Cumulus Outdoors is proud to be a Jurassic Coast Business Partner. It’s great to be able to do our bit to raise money to help towards conservation and education projects all along the World Heritage Site, helping to spread learning and understanding about this globally unique coastline, and, crucially, to safeguard it so that future generations can enjoy it as much as we do today”.
Cumulus Outdoors are one of the Jurassic Coast Trust’s many dedicated Business Partners whose contributions are critical in looking after our World Heritage Site.
