Skip to content

Establishing Community Custodians of local fossil heritage at Charnwood Forest Geopark

    Cohort 2026 Research Placement Project

    About The Project

    Leicestershire is home to nationally significant fossil sites recording as diverse periods in Earth History as reef communities from the time of the dinosaurs to some of the earliest fossil remains of animals themselves, more than 8 times older than T.rex. These more ancient fossils are of international significance and found within Charnwood Forest Geopark.

    First discovered in the 1950s, Charnia masoni was the first fossil to be described from rocks older than Cambrian – a period when animals appear in the fossil record globally and all at once – and therefore validated Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, which demands a more gradual build-up of animal diversity. Auroralumina attenboroughii, also from Charnwood Forest Geopark and described in 2022, is recognised as the earliest known animal predator and the oldest animal with direct, living descendants.

     Yet, how much do local communities actually know about these sites and the extraordinary organisms preserved within them? This project seeks to establish a baseline of public knowledge about these fossil sites in particular and national palaeontological heritage more generally.

    To achieve this, we will design and deliver a survey both online and in-person to different demographic groups in Leicestershire to assess current awareness and understanding of fossils. In parallel, we will collect information about how the public interact and engage with fossil discovery in their local area: Have they ever found a fossil? If so, have they reported the discovery? Better understanding baseline public knowledge of fossils will improve public engagement with Leicestershire’s fossil heritage, and inform strategies for outreach and conservation. The findings of this project will have a broad impact, informing palaeontological and natural history outreach programs internationally. Heritage material is of enormous social, cultural and scientific value, as recognised by UNESCO (UNESCO convention 2022) and helps us to understand our shared history in the landscape around us. We will collaborate with the Charnwood Forest Geopark to use survey outcomes of our survey to better engage the public.

    We will draw on previous successful projects, for example, the ‘Found A Fossil’ initiative (Hurst et al. 2023) in Australia, which continues to design targeted outreach material based on survey results. Ultimately, this project will facilitate more effective communication between the public, research scientists and policymakers, ensuring that Leicestershire’s palaeontological heritage can be both enjoyed and conserved for generations to come.

    Project Aims 

    The aims of this project are threefold:

    1. To establish a baseline of knowledge in Leicestershire about: a. British fossils b. Local fossils
    2. To establish a baseline of knowledge about collecting and reporting practises among the public for fossil material.

    3. In collaboration with the Charnwood Forest Geopark, to produce a Palaeontological Outreach Strategy, including suggestions for how best to communicate ideas around fossils and palaeontology, including insights into engaging diverse communities.

    Project Team