Succulent Explorers' Day UPDATE -Itinerary

Post details of any upcoming events, meets or newsworthy stories about our hobby.
Peter B
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Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by Peter B »

I would assume most of you are aware of the Cactus Explorers' Weekend.
It has been suggested by people interested in the other succulents that an equivalent event for those plants as they are not catered for by Cactus Explorers. This is being tried out by people at Manchester Branch for the first time this year. We have three speakers already committed to speaking at this event (with a fourth one being sought), namely: Derek Tribble, Ray Stephenson and Andy Young already accepting the challenge. Talks will be of 30 minute and 60 minute duration, the day will start at 10am and culminate in a 5pm finish. There will be a warm lunch made available and all interval refreshments included in the cost of £15.

Date: Saturday April 9th
Venue: St Thomas More Church Hall, Kirkway, Alkrington, Middleton, Manchester. M24 1PP
Time: doors open 9am, first talk 10am
Plant sales: these will be by speakers and selected nurseries to be invited.

Every branch in the Society will be informed of this new venture and booking forms will be sent out at the same time however you can book individually by writing to me at my home address:
Peter Bint, 313 Manchester New Road, Alkrington, Middleton, Manchester M24 1NR giving me the following information: Your name, Your Branch, whether you need a vegetarian or non vegetarian meal. A cheque made out to BCSS Manchester Branch for the appropriate amount according to numbers attending @ £15 each. If you require proof of receipt send me either your email address or an SAE.

Peter B
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by Tony R »

A pity it is the same day as the BCSS AGM and Lecture :wink:
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by DaveW »

Wow Great, If it finally gets rid of Other Succulents from the Cactus Explorers Weekend I am all for it!!!! (tu) :lol:

Perhaps we also now need a separate British Cactus Society as well as a separate British Other Succulent Society too?

Seriously, you may find you need to move the venue nearer the centre of the country in future if it is to be a residential weekend in order to attract the maximum participation from those further south. The Chileans magazine may have been started in County Durham, but the residential weekend started at Brooksby Agricultural College in Leicestershire for easier access from the south, and it's successor The Cactus Explorers is also now similarly based at Leicester University.

You also need to arrange your weekends as Tony says to avoid conflict with other established events that your potential participants now attend and may not want to forgo. For instance the date of Cactus Explorers Weekend is now worked out so it does not coincide with ELK.

Also if you want to use educational establishments for a residential weekend that have the lecture halls, car parking, bedrooms and catering facilities you have to pick a time when the students are on holiday.
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by Peter B »

Yes Dave we are aware of all these points. But when you want to try something new you have to walk before you run. We are aware that if popularity is proven it will become a residential weekend. We are also acutely aware of the fact we clash with the AGM (and we have been told off for that though the replies from ordinary members I've received tell me which they prefer) but you don't know how congested our programme is and how we have deliberated over where to put it. For this year we have put it in the only slot available to us given all the other features that are happening through the usable part of the year. September and October are out due to all the events that are happening, August is holidays, June and July are very busy in our branch with many weekends already in use, plus there are branch shows, May we have the Mart and our branch meeting plus again there are branch shows, April sees zones 1 and 6 with conventions, March is too early after you've allowed for zone 9 convention. Your other point is sadly contentious. If you allow for the fact there are cactus and succulent enthusiasts as for north as Shetland and Orkney, Leicester is not the central point (I have no northern bias as I am a Northamptonshire man by birth and only transferred north due to job and eventually my wife). Manchester, Leeds aereas are actually central. I know there is a greater concentration of members the further south you travel but peopole in Scotland in particular lose out in this argument every time.
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by DaveW »

There is always a problem of where to centre national venues Peter. Do you centre them in the geographical centre of the country, theoretically ideal for travel from both ends, but not always the best situation as major road and rail routes may pass them by. Therefore do you put them instead at the centre of the major road and rail routes of the country for easier access?

However as you point out that does not mean that the centre of the country is always where most of your attendees would come from. I don't know what would be the optimum statistical catchment centre of either the Cactophile or Other Succulentophile fanciers in the UK, but would suspect there would be a smaller percentage in Scotland than further south, hence more southerly based would potentially attract more?

The National Show was always closer for me where it used to be than it is now down south and obviously also for you and those in Scotland too. I suppose when siting venues it has to be biased towards catchment area for the majority of potential attendees and easy transport access, rather than just simple geography?

Again as more events are happening every year the problem of conflicting dates or ability for people to spare the time and the cost of attending all of interest will occur, since you would be attending something almost every weekend in the height of the shows season. That means many will get potentially less attendees than would be the case than if they were fewer but possibly larger events.

Also for more major events the competition for ideal central venues and hence costs could increase. Anyway I wish you well in your venture, but when moving to what is intended to be a national event rather than a purely local one catering for just those from either north or south of the country the situation of the venue is important and the dates chosen to avoid conflicting with those your intending participants already attend.

As to "walk before you can run". I am probably one of the few left who did attend the first ever Chileans Weekend at Brooksby in Leicestershire. As I recall there was no preliminary exploratory meeting to gauge interest before that. It started straight off as a residential weekend and the first weekend was reasonably well attended, even if there were a few rough edges in what constituted the original programme.

As previously said, the venue chosen was aimed to be the most convenient for members from both ends of the country, even though the organiser Harry Middleditch was County Durham based. It's venues over the years have mainly circled around Leicestershire, apart from a short time in Nottinghamshire. Eventually being broadened out to include both North and South American cacti as the Cactus Explorers Club, but still in Leicestershire for countrywide ease of access.
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day

Post by TheEconomist »

Very much looking forward to it :) I commute for over an hour each way to work on daily basis so another two hours total spent getting there and bank won't be an issue for me :mrgreen:
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Succulent Explorers' Day UPDATE -Itinerary

Post by Peter B »

PLEASE NOTE THE ITINERARY FOR THE DAY IS AS BELOW:

10.00 - 10.05 Introduction to the day
10.05 - 11.05 Andy Young: The Genus Conophytum ( a detailed look at its distribution and preferred geology)
11.05 - 11.35 Derek Tribble: A quick look at Anacampseros
11.35 - 11.55 Coffee
11.55 - 12.55 Ray Stephenson: Classification of the Crassulaceae (looking at the changes from old morphological systems brought about by DNA sequencing)
12.55 - 13.25 Andy Young: Preparing for a field trip.
13.25 - 14.15 LUNCH
14.15 - 15.10 Derek Tribble: A Tour of South African Biomes and Their Succulents.
15.10 - 15.40 Ray Stephenson: Succulents of the Turkish Lake District
13.40 - 16.00 Coffee
16.00 - 17.00 Dorothy Minors: Exploring the Flora of the Canary Isles
17.00 - 17.20 Debate on a possible future event
Peter B,
Manchester Branch Chairman
NCSS/BCSS member since late 1960's - strong interest in mesembs in general and Lithops in particular, Haworthias and enjoy growing all forms of cacti & succulents
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day UPDATE -Itinerary

Post by Peter B »

Please note the talk by Andy Young at 10.05 has now been changed to: “Hunting elusive Conos”
Peter B,
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NCSS/BCSS member since late 1960's - strong interest in mesembs in general and Lithops in particular, Haworthias and enjoy growing all forms of cacti & succulents
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day UPDATE -Itinerary

Post by Phil_SK »

I've merged the two threads on this topic to keep things tidy.
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Phil Crewe, BCSS 38143. Mostly S. American cacti, esp. Lobivia, Sulcorebutia and little Opuntia
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Re: Succulent Explorers' Day UPDATE -Itinerary

Post by Peter B »

Thanks, Phil. I tried to edit but the ability to do so had passed.
Peter B,
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NCSS/BCSS member since late 1960's - strong interest in mesembs in general and Lithops in particular, Haworthias and enjoy growing all forms of cacti & succulents
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