BGS hosted its bi-annual Open Day on 8 June 2024, welcoming more than 1000 visitors to its headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire.
This year’s BGS Open Day featured more than 25 hands-on activities, including landslide modelling and gold panning, as well as a wide range of demonstrations that were fun for the whole family.
The event, which was free to attend, also included a number of visitor tours, including the BGS Core Store, the largest core facility in the UK, a virtual reality tour of Great Britain in the 3D visualisation facility and a wilding tour around the campus grounds to see its wildflower meadows, bug hotels and pond.
Visitors also had the opportunity to meet and speak to BGS scientists, as well as take part in the family quiz and show, both of which took place twice during the day.
Dr Karen Hanghøj, BGS Director, said:
“It was a pleasure to be able to welcome so many visitors, including family and friends of those who work at BGS, to this year’s Open Day. Seeing everyone engage and enjoy geoscience through the numerous activities, demonstrations and tours that were available was fantastic. On behalf of BGS, we would like to thank everyone who attended, and we look forwarded to hosting the next one.”
Prof Melanie Leng, BGS Chief Scientist for environment change, adaptation and resilience, said:
“The BGS Open Day was another resounding success, with over 1300 visitors attending our office site at Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. There was a lot of geoscience available as well as a site tour, where visitors were able to see our wildflower meadows, bug hotels, the pond, ‘snake wood’ (sadly the grass snakes were lying low) and our orchard. Visitors also saw many insects, birds and wildflowers as a direct result of our environmental sustainability work.
“A large part of our meadow land is being prepared for a ground-source heat pump and ‘living laboratory’, which will support data collection and help us meet our net zero targets. Visitors were able to see the preparation works in action where, in a few months, this area will be restored as an orchard and wildflower meadow.”
