John W Blanchard's 'Spanish Diary 1986' revisited

[Matt T]

I want to thank everyone who has believed in and supported my project so far.

Researching and planning the detail of my trip to follow in John Blanchard’s footsteps to study Narcissus in the wild has got me eager to get out there and see what I will find. The intervening 30 years could have seen significant changes and this year’s unusual weather is likely to have had a major impact on Narcissus flowering times. No doubt there will be much to see and learn and I look forward to sharing my findings on my return.

The Crowdfunder deadline is not far away now, so I’d be grateful if you could help me in one last push to reach my target by sharing this project with your networks and any contacts who you think might be interested in supporting my work: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/blanchards-spanish-diary/

Your support would very much appreciated and will help us to learn more about Narcissus in the wild. Thank you so much!

[Liz Mills]

I'm delighted to report that the SRGC Exploration Fund Committee has awarded Matt a grant of £750 for this project.  Thank goodness we got rid of the deadline date in time to be able to help. 

Matt - We're all looking forward to hearing about what you find when you get to the Blanchard sites.  Good luck.

[annew]

Hope you have reached your total now Matt - Bon Voyage!

[Matt T]

I have to thank everyone who has shown their support for my project, including the SRGC for their grant under the revisions to the Exploration Fund.

My first venture at using Crowdfunder has also been a success in getting this project going, allowing people who are interested in sharing in this project to support me directly.  As a result my project is now almost fully funded, which means that I can focus all my energies on the huge amount of work that will have to be undertaken in the field. I'm not actively pushing the Crowdfunder page at this stage, but it will remain open until the original deadline of 28 Jan for anyone who might want to access the offered rewards (i.e. a copy of the full, detailed project report and/or talk to their Local Group).

My foreign travels always have to have an aim, but the work will not stop when I return, with a huge amount of data that will need to be processed, interpreted and turned into useful reports, articles and formats that can be shared with you all.

The support from you all is greatly appreciated.

[Julia]

Fantastic news. We are looking forward to your talk at The Perthshire Group, SRGC.
Have a fabulous trip.

[Maggi Young]

The Aberdeen Group is delighted to be involved  in your project, Matt. It is exciting to   have an interest in such a scheme.

[Matt T]

An update on this project can be found here and details of talks are in the Perth, Angus and Aberdeen local group programmes here.

[Matt T]

Anyone who is interested in the report from my research project AND supporting the SRGC Exploration Fund can find more details here.

[Maggi Young]

Matt’s article on some of the  plants other than narcissus which he saw during his  trip were published in the IRG 81 (International Rock Gardener e-magazine)   CLICK HERE
In the eagerly awaited January 2017 issue of the SRGC‘s printed  journal, The Rock Garden #138 ( due out to members in mid January we hope) his report on the trip in relation to Blanchard’s findings will be  printed. In the online IRG  #85  of January 2017, a photo essay supplement will be included. That issue will go online on the last Friday of the month.