On Monday 15th September Mervyn Storey MLA, Chair of the Education Committee, hosted the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust at Stormont to launch our ‘Field Guide to the Geodiversity of the Causeway Coast and Glens’.
Andrew, described the guide as ‘Practical teacher and student friendly which introduce ten great sites in some of Northern Ireland’s most treasured landscapes, showcasing the unparalleled wealth of geology readily available in Northern Ireland. We hope they will become a staple in secondary schools.’
Written by two of the last Geology teachers in Northern Ireland, Nicole Sloane and William Lynn, with contributions from Karen Parks (Methodist College Belfast) Kirstin Lemon (Geological Survey of Northern Ireland), Liz Wallace and the team at Magilligan Field Centre (Western Education and Library Board), Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s Natural Heritage Grants Team and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, this educational resource truly is cross-departmental, emphasising Northern Ireland government’s commitment to providing Northern Ireland’s young people with great opportunities.
Guests who joined us at Stormont included Mark H. Durkan, Minister for the Environment, Oliver Mc Mullan MLA and Cathal O hOisin MLA who joined representatives from Northern Ireland’s Education and Library Boards, namely Barry Mulholland, Chief Executive of Western Education and Library Board and Shane Mc Curdy, Chief Executive, North Eastern Education and Library Board.
Field Guides were presented to three teachers, Linda Mac Farland, North Coast Integrated, Charis Chestnutt, Knockbreda High School and Claire Connor, Ashfield Girls High School, all of whom completed a Causeway Coast geology training ‘Teaching the Teacher’ course earlier in the year which was funded by the NIEA NGO Challenge Fund and administered by the Northern Ireland Environment Link.
A further presentation of the guides was made to author, Nicole Sloane, by top secondary level geology students Andrew Dickson and Ethan Lapsley; demonstrating the appetite to learn about Northern Ireland’s plentiful natural and sustainable resource, geology.
The Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust would like to thank Mervyn Storey MLA for hosting the event as well as, Department of the Environment (NIEA), the Department of Education, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and all who helped create this world class resource.
