Société welcomes public for local research Open Day

Jersey’s oldest heritage organisation is opening its doors to the public for Islanders to discover more about and get involved with the academic research it carries out as it launches a special award in memory of a local environmentalist.

The Société Jersiaise, an organisation dedicated to the preservation of Jersey’s history, culture, language and environment since 1873, is welcoming the general public for an Open Day on Saturday 4th November.

This event comes as part of the organisation’s celebrations throughout 2023 for its 150th anniversary year.

The Open Day is an opportunity for Islanders to hear from the multitude of different academic disciplines, called ‘Sections’, that the Société represents.

In total, there are 16 Sections at the Société, each dedicated to a particular field of study, which include: Archaeology, Architecture, Bibliography, Botany, Entomology (the study of insects), Environment, Garden History, Geology (the study of rocks), History, Jèrriais, Marine Biology, Meteorology (the study of weather), Mycology (the study of fungi and mushrooms), Numismatics (the study of coins), Ornithology (the study of birds), and Zoology (the study of animals).

Throughout the Open Day, representatives from each Section will make short presentations about their current projects and will be on-hand to answer any questions from attendees.

The Société is delighted that the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, His Excellency Vice-Admiral Jerry Kyd CBE has kindly agreed to officially open the event.

In addition to the presentations, the Société will also be using this event to launch a new award named after and in memory of Nigel Quérée, one of Jersey’s most prominent environmentalists, and a member of the Société’s Executive Committee. The former Senator was passionate about protecting Jersey’s natural environment, with the flooding of Queen’s Valley and the disposal of hazardous waste from the incinerator at La Collette being two prominent issues he advocated against.

The award, consisting of a grant of up to £2,000, is intended to recognise and support relevant research, field work and other projects, and is open to students, citizen scientists, and groups.

Speaking about the Open Day event, Société CEO Rebecca Bailhache said: “We are looking forward to connecting more people with the ethos and activities of the Société. Over the last century-and-a-half, the organisation has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and the preservation of the Island’s history, culture, language and environment.

“This is vital work, which is largely carried out behind the scenes, so we’re very excited to raise more awareness about the fantastic research of our Sections. For this work to continue, we need an enthusiastic new generation of researchers to get involved and we hope this Open Day will help us find those individuals. We are also very proud to be launching the award we created in Nigel Quérée’s memory, and we look forward to honouring his legacy by supporting projects which help to understand and preserve our beautiful Island’s environment.”

To find out more about the day’s full programme and to register for your FREE place, click HERE.