BPS: Other Benefits of Membership

Meetings Programme

During the winter Indoor Meetings are held, with, talks, exhibits and informal discussions. In the summer there are Garden Visits and Field Meetings (day, weekend and week) in fern-rich parts of the country, to see and study ferns in the field, to collect information on their status and need for conservation, and to enable those with little or no previous experience to become more familiar with species in their natural habitats.

The 2007 Meetings Programme is now available.

Regional Groups

Regional Groups give opportunities for informal meetings with other fern enthusiasts in your own area.

The following groups exist; the counties listed indicate the area covered by meetings, but members from outside the region are welcome. Contact the organisers for further information. The Secretary would be pleased to hear from you if you are interested in starting up a group in another area.

Yorkshire
Bruce Brown. E-mail: Yorkshire@eBPS.org.uk

South-East England (Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, Middx, London, Hants)
Paul H. Ripley, North Lodge, Dene Park Gardens, Shipbourne Road, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9NS. E-mail: SouthEast@eBPS.org.uk
The 2007 programme from the South East Group is available as an MS Word document

East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambs, Beds, Herts)
Tim Pyner, 182 Southchurch Boulevard, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 4UX. E-mail: EastAnglia@eBPS.org.uk

North-West England (Cumbria, Lancs)
Peter Campion, Lake View, Castle Hill,
Bassenthwaite, Keswick, CA12 4RG; tel: 017687 76272 E-mail: NorthWest@eBPS.org.uk
The 2007 programme from the North West Group and Bridge of Orchy prospectus are available as MS Word documents.

Cornwall
Matt Stribley, 8 St Georges Road, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3JE. E-mail: Cornwall@eBPS.org.uk
The 2006 programme from the Cornwall Group is available as an MS Word document

Scotland Frank McGavigan, 12 Glenbank Avenue, Lenzie, Glasgow G66 5AA. E-mail: Scotland@eBPS.org.uk
The 2007 programme from the Scottish Group is available as an MS Word document

Special Interest Groups

There are currently three Special Interest Groups. For further information please send a stamped addressed envelope to the organisers:

Tree-ferns
Prof. A.C. Wardlaw, 92 Drymen Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 2SY. E-mail: TreeFerns@eBPS.org.uk

Foreign Hardy Ferns
A.R. (Matt) Busby, 16 Kirby Corner Road, Canley, Coventry CV4 8GD. E-mail: ForeignHardyFerns@eBPS.org.uk

Filmy Ferns
S.J. Munyard, 234 Harold Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN35 5NG. E-mail: FilmyFerns@eBPS.org.uk

Spore Exchange

The Spore Exchange receives a world-wide selection of fern spores from various sources and distributes them to members. You can download a copy of the 2007 spore list in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format (spores can only be sent to BPS members). The 2007 spore distribution is now finished. Those who have fresh spores to donate should read the Spore Donors Guidance Notes (.pdf).

Plant Exchange

The Plant Exchange Scheme offers the opportunity to obtain species and varieties of hardy and greenhouse ferns that are not readily available from commercial nurseries and enables good homes to be found for surplus plants.

Members Information Service

Members often require information and advice on many aspects of Pteridophytes but are reluctant to ask or simply do not know where to obtain help. Queries from members on any aspects of the biology, identification or cultivation of ferns or fern allies should be sent, with three first class stamps, to A.R. Busby, 16 Kirby Corner Road, Canley, Coventry CV4 8GD. E-mail: HorticulturalInformation@eBPS.org.uk

Booksales

The Booksales Service gives members the opportunity to acquire old fern books not easily obtainable through normal sources, as well as new books hot off the press!

Merchandise

A variety of Merchandise is available to members including T-shirts, sweat-shirts, notelets and greetings cards.

The 2006 Merchandise List and Order Form (October 2006) can be downloaded as a MS Word file.

BPS Video: 'British Ferns'

'With over fifty species of ferns the British Isles has a remarkably varied fern flora. Many species have distinctive distributions reflecting regional variations in environmental conditions. In particular the cool relatively damp environments of the North and the mild Western fringes of Britain bring together species typical of Atlantic, Arctic and Alpine regions, resulting in a fern flora that is unique to the British Isles.'

This twenty-five minute video shows most of our native ferns growing in their natural habitats. It demonstrates the wide variety of size and form to be found in British ferns and the broad range of habitats they colonise. Attention is drawn to key identification characters for each species.

The video was funded by Schering Agriculture and the National Museum of Wales. It is available for loan, free of charge (UK only), to interested individuals and organisations. For further details write to the General Secretary enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.

The Greenfield Fund

This fund, set up as a memorial to one of our Society's great fern growers, Percy Greenfield, is used to finance approved research projects, helping with the cost of necessary equipment, books and travel expenses. Awards for meritorious achievements such as the introduction of a new fern variety or plant, or some of the Society's publicity projects would be considered as worthy of help from the fund. Percy Greenfield's interest leaned very much towards the non-scientific side of our activities and it is felt that he would want this taken into consideration when decisions are made. Workers eligible for university or college grants and similar support will not therefore be eligible for help from the fund. Members wishing to benefit from this memorial fund should apply to the trustees via the General Secretary.

The Centenary Fund

This fund will be used to promote the study of all aspects of pteridophytes - horticultural, scientific and educational, whether by amateurs, students or professional pteridologists. As such its scope is much broader and more flexible than the Greenfield Fund. Members wishing to avail themselves of this fund should contact the trustees through the General Secretary.

Affiliation to the Royal Horticultural Society

The Society is affiliated to the RHS, enabling a limited number of members to enjoy certain privileges in connection with RHS Shows, competitions and services.

Reading Circles

The Society operates a reading circle for several journals. The American Fern Journal is a quarterly publication containing much information for those seriously interested in ferns; it is accompanied by the Fiddlehead Forum, which publishes many ‘ferny’ items of interest to the amateur grower. To receive these journals contact A.R. Busby, 16 Kirby Corner Road, Canley, Coventry CV4 8GD. E-mail: HorticulturalInformation@eBPS.org.uk.

This page was last updated on 9 October, 2007 .