Celebrating 40 years of Bradford Botany Group by Susan Simcock

Since 1983, Bradford Botany Group has been bringing together people interested in botany and wild plants. The Group was formed out of an evening botany class and has continued to grow and develop thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of many individuals over the years since its formation. A summary of the first 30 years of the Group was published in the 2014 Annual Review, written by Les Barnett and Geoffrey Wilmore. With the Group recently celebrating its 40th anniversary, I thought it was time for an update, summarising what we have been up to over the last ten years, 2014 to 2023.

The full-length version of this article is available to members of Bradford Botany Group.

At a glance: What has changed in the last 10 years?

• Annual Review no longer produced

• New website which is easy to update

• Venue change for indoor meetings

• Zoom meetings introduced

• WhatsApp Group setup

• Constitution updated

• Risk Assessments updated

• Emergency contact list completed at each field meeting

• Species lists produced using Excel

• Almost all members now on email

• Membership fee reduced

The above list gives an idea of the main changes over the last 10 years, and although it looks like quite a long list, the core activities, other than in the Covid years, have remained unchanged. These core activities are:

• Summer field meetings, usually between April and September

• Winter programme of talks and workshops with some field meetings

• Short holidays

• Annual meal

• Species recording - a list of the plant species seen on field meetings

In summary, I think the highlights of the last decade for Bradford Botany Group include continuing to organise great field meetings, short holidays, indoor events and annual meals, as well as successfully updating the website and revising the constitution. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in making the Group such a success. Membership numbers have increased from 60 in April 2014 to 92 in April 2024, so we must be doing something right! Members have continued to learn from each other, gladly sharing their knowledge. By continuing to make species lists on field meetings, and assisting with surveys, the group has provided useful information, to members and external organisations, of the flora of the sites we have visited. The global Covid pandemic was a difficult time for many, but the Group managed to adapt and added Zoom meetings and WhatsApp to the list of Group activities, which have continued post pandemic. In some ways, it was sad to see the Annual Review discontinued, but members can still share articles via the website or email, and can also communicate via WhatsApp, and these new methods have the advantage of being a quicker form of communication. There is the continual challenge of finding more volunteers to help run the group. The Group would certainly benefit from a greater number of volunteers coming forward, if only to undertake small tasks. I remain hopeful that volunteers will come forward and the Group will continue to grow.

I believe it would be hard to find a more friendly and welcoming group of people than those encountered at Bradford Botany Group. Over the last ten years, the Group has continued to bring people together through a shared enjoyment of wild plants, with members often discovering new plants and places as well as new friendships. Long may it continue.