Specialist and Regional Groups
Specialist Groups and Joint Associations
The Society has 24 Specialist Groups and Joint Associations, catering for most aspects of modern Earth science. Members of the Society are free to join as many such groups as they wish. Some groups, including all the Joint Associations, are not restricted to Society members.
Representatives of the Specialist Groups are entitled to attend meetings of the Science Committee, which has particular responsibility for their relationship with the Society.
Regional Groups
There are fourteen Regional Groups in the UK and one in Hong Kong. These groups organise scientific, technical, professional and social events locally. Professional matters are high on the agenda of the groups, which are an essential means of disseminating information and gathering opinion. Representatives from the groups meet at least once a year through the Regional Groups Committee, which reports to the Society's Professional Committee.
All Fellows, Candidate Fellows, Junior Candidate Fellows are allocated to a Regional Group based on the correspondence address provided at the time of application. Fellows who are not allocated a Regional Group or wish to change the group which they have been allocated to, can do so by contacting the Fellowship Department. Regional Groups will contact local members directly in relation to any group activities. Please see the table below for a list of all Regional Groups and the postal district key used to allocate members to their local group.
| Regional Group | Postal Districts |
|---|---|
| Central Scotland | AB, DD, DG, EH, FK, G, HS, IV, KA, KW, KY, ML, PA, PH, TD, ZE |
| East Anglia | CB, CM, CO, IP, NR, SS |
| East Midlands | DE, DN, LE, LN, NG, PE |
| Home Counties North | AL, E, EC, EN, HA, HP, IG, LU, MK, N, NN, NW, RM, SG, UB, W, WC, WD |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong residents only |
| Northern | CA, DH, DL, NE, SR, TS |
| North West | BB, BL, CH, CW, FY, L, LA, LL, M, OL, PR, SK, WA, WN |
| Solent | BH, BN, GU, PO, SO |
| South East | BN, BR, CR, CT, DA, KT, ME, RH, SE, SM, SW, TN |
| Southern Wales | CF, LD, NP, SA |
| South West | DT, EX, PL, TA, TQ, TR |
| Thames Valley | GU, OX, RG, SL, TW |
| Western | BA, BH, BS, GL, SN, SP |
| West Midlands | B, CV, DY, HR, ST, SY, TF, WR, WS, WV |
| Yorkshire | BD, HD, HG, HU, HX, LS, S, WF, YO |
Commissions
Several specialist commissions report through the Society.
All groups have their own pages on this site, accessible via lists on the appropriate group type page. You can find out about events organised by these groups by searching the Event Listings. Details of forthcoming meetings are also listed in the Society's magazine, Geoscientist.
Specialist and Regional Group Field Trips Insurance Information and Safety Procedures
The Society’s insurance covers Specialist and Regional Group field trips in the UK if they are non-hazardous. The public liability insurance covers third party injury or damage to property, for example if a participant on a field trip hurt themselves or broke their camera, but a claimant would have to prove that the Society had been negligent. For details please download the PDF below which includes, Risk Assessment Guidance Notes and a Field Excursion Risk Assessment and Safety Plan, for Special Interest & Regional Groups to complete where necessary. Also included are Safety Information for Field Excursion Leaders & Participants.