Anglian Microscopy
Group
Part of the Quekett Microscopical Club

Meetings are at Crowfield Village Hall
Stone Street, Crowfield, Suffolk IP6 9SZ
Start at 10am, runs until about 3pm

NEXT MEETING SATURDAY 26th APRIL 2025
EAST OF ENGLAND ANNUAL MEETING

This is a joint meeting between the Quekett, Iceni Microscopy Study Group and the Anglian Microscopy Group, and is open and free to anyone who wishes to come along.

As in previous years tea, coffee and biscuits will be available all day long and we will be offering a hot meal at lunchtime. This must be booked and paid for one week advance of the meeting, cost is £12 per head. Should you wish to book a meal please reply to this email :- anglian.microscopy@gmail.com

The format of the day will be a Gossip meeting with demonstrations, exhibits and sales, followed by a talk and practical exercise in the afternoon. We would welcome anyone to put on a demonstration of anything
microscopy related that interests them, we have had a wide variety of exhibits in the past that have been very well received. Demonstrations do not need to be highly technical or complex, they can comprise a simple display of your favourite slides or photographs you have taken, anything that interests you is likely to interest others.

After lunch we will be treated to a short talk by Dr Ross Piper on insect diversity and their ecological importance followed by a practical demonstration of insect mounting techniques (cards, card points and pins) and insect genitalia dissection, which is crucial for identification.

The Anglian Microscopy Group is part of the Outreach Programme of the Quekett Microscopical Club

Exploring the hidden world around us

Our primary purpose is to promote amateur microscopy in all its forms, with special interests in understanding the environment around us, helping beekeepers identify and control diseases and pests, natural history study, assisting students in microscopy, and keeping enquiring minds active with this fascinating pursuit.

Why a Microscope Group in Suffolk?

Nationally there are very few amateur microscopy groups and in East Anglia only one, the Iceni Microscopy Study Group based at Bergh Apton, which is a small village to the east of Norwich. The next nearest is at Northampton and this leaves a huge geographical area where no groups exist, despite there being interest in the subject from many natural history, beekeeping or similar groups. The group is managed by experienced and enthusiastic microscopists to fill this void with a resource for all interested members of the public to enjoy, at a location that has good access links to the regional road network.

Do I need a microscope to join the Group?

Ownership of a microscope is not necessary to attend meetings! We will provide one you can use during the session. We also have access to other specialised equipment and materials. We can also advise on the purchase of equipment and regularly have good quality second hand microscopes and accessories for sale, all checked over and refurbished by ourselves.

One of the activities we specialise in is taking photographs down the microscope.
This is a selection of photomicrographs taken by our members
Click on the thumbnail to see the full sized image.

How much will it cost to come to meetings?

Here's the really good news - meetings are FREE to attend, they are part of the Outreach Programme of the Quekett Microscopical Club, which is the leading organisation for all who are interested in the microscope and microscopy. We have an international membership, with both amateur and professional microscopists who freely share their knowledge with beginners and new members. The Club is a registered charity and ‘learned society’ – our stated aims are to promote the understanding and use of all aspects of the microscope.

We would strongly recommend that if you do decide to join us at Crowfield on a regular basis that you also join the Quekett, membership brings several benefits. All members receive the Quekett Journal of Microscopy in June and December and the Bulletin in March and September. The Journal is the leading peer-reviewed publication for articles on historical microscopy, microscope technique and digital imaging, studies and observations on microscopic life and microscopic structures. The Bulletin is a more informal publication providing records of Club meetings and exhibits, as well as short articles. The Club’s website provides members with access to videos of Club meetings and reports of other meetings. For those who live in or visit the UK, the Club holds a very active programme of meetings, workshops and excursions. Meetings are held each month at the Natural History Museum in London, where lectures are given by experts in their field (you can view videos of these lectures in the Members’ Area) and gossip meetings, where members and visitors stage small exhibits on microscopy. Annual one-day meetings are also held around the country, usually combining lectures with gossip exhibits. The Club’s Annual Exhibition of Microscopy is held in October and is a showcase for members’ work and projects. It is probably the largest meeting of amateur microscopists in the world! For those wanting to buy, sell or exchange microscopes, slides and equipment, Microscopium is the Club’s sales meeting, held in October and open to members and visitors. See the current programme for details. Finally, by becoming a member of the Quekett Microscopical Club, you join the largest and most friendly group of recreational microscopists – amateur and professional – and become part of our community.

If you live in the UK or Europe, the subscription is £35 per annum, or £12 per annum for those under 21 years of age. If you live outside Europe, the subscription is £45 per annum, or £20 per annum for those under 21 years of age. Annual subscriptions cover a calendar year, 1st January to 31st December. New members will receive copies of the Bulletin and the Journal that have already been published in the year that they join. If you join during October, November or December, your subscription will cover from the date you join until the end of the following year. Click on the link for further details https://www.quekett.org/about/membership

Important information regarding young persons

We are happy to welcome everyone to the Group but if you intend to bring a young person along please be aware of the following;
Each session will be different in nature. Some will involve the preparation and processing of specimens, possibly animal specimens such as insects (which will not be presented as live) and others photographing or drawing the specimens. The suitability of any session for an individual young person depends on their maturity, which obviously we cannot judge in advance. The activities we will be undertaking are things that the leaders of the group have been doing since the age of around seven or eight, but that doesn't make them suitable for all! We have all made careers in some branch of science and have been focussed on this more or less all our lives.
There are some adults that would struggle to manipulate some of the equipment and younger children often struggle to use microscopes designed for the eye spacing of adult eyes and the height of microscopes often results in them needing to stand at a normal height table. For those under 18, parents should be with them for the entirety of all sessions so that they can ensure the safety of their child and determine the suitability of any particular activity for their child. Again, for the technical aspects it will depend on the level of knowledge of science and mathematics as to what they will be able to appreciate.
This is a science based group, chemicals and heating are involved in the preparation of some specimens. All of the COSHH assessments are available. Basic 'laboratory rules' apply to all of the activities. Most are 'common sense'. E.g. don't taste or drink chemicals.

Anglian MicroscopyGroup Part of the Quekett Microscopical Club