Louise Marsh and Geoffrey Hall offered a joint talk on perceived threats to British and Irish herbaria, and the response of the vc55 BSBI local group.

Feedback from national outreach events indicated a need for local groups and training, volunteering and recording opportunities, as enjoyed by the vc55 group thanks to a close working relationship with the local Wildlife Trust, University and Botanic Garden, where Plant ID courses and an annual FISC are held.

“Museum to Meadow” volunteer projects currently underway at Herb. LTR, using herbarium sheets of roses and elms to re-find extant populations in vc55, were outlined.

Herbaria in the UK are threatened by the adverse impacts of funding cuts. Likely consequences, and their impact on BSBI members, were outlined. BSBI involvement in championing herbaria was encouraged, and its Herbarium@Home project was promoted as a way to make collections more easily available to members and to the public.