It never feels like much time passes between one of these blogs and the next; when we take a moment to look back at everything our small charity has achieved over the past year.  2025 has been a difficult year financially for RSGS, with many challenges to overcome from changing IT needs to issues with bank accounts along with staff and other changes to accommodate.

After an incredibly busy December, during which we hosted a Festival of Shackleton event with around 1,200 people, 2025 started quietly enough at RSGS, but this certainly wasn’t the case in some other parts of the world. January saw a barrage of media and online discord, surrounding political change at home and abroad, which seemed more spiteful and confrontational than ever, and full of misinformation and disinformation. It felt like science and empathy were under attack.

It reinforced our belief in the need to continue to champion rational thinking and compassion and promote intelligent debate and understanding. So, as we look back on 2025, this message of empathy and trust sat at the heart of much that we promoted or delivered this year.

This year, we produced four editions of The Geographer magazine, themed on plants and gardens, sustainable heat, voices of the Earth, and postal services. On top of this, we were finally able to release the fourth edition of the Young Geographer magazine, created by our youth editorial board and themed on climate and health, which they presented to the First Minister in the summer.

2025 editions of The Geographer

Young Geographer Alice Main and First Minister John Swinney

We also released a major report titled Into the Red, on the economic cost of climate inaction. The report was featured on the front page of The Herald and was mentioned in the Scottish Parliament. Drawing on over 100 recent economic studies, the report highlighted the consistent finding that the sooner we take action in Scotland to tackle climate change, the better off, and safer, our society will be.

Into the Red report

We presented many awards this year, including RSGS Honorary Fellowships to Aldo Kane, Polly Murray, Alexandra Shackleton and Sal Montgomery. We also presented the RSGS Shackleton Medal to BBC presenter and “explainer in chief” Ros Atkins at an event in Perth, where he was interviewed by RSGS Vice President Vanessa Collingridge. The award recognised his work to uphold science and evidence-based reporting through his distinctive style of journalism, breaking down complex news stories into clear and accessible narratives. This award felt particularly important as we set out more than ever to highlight the value of good quality public broadcasting in combatting rising disinformation.

Ros Atkins FRSGS, RSGS Shackleton Medallist

Towards the end of the year, the RSGS President’s Medal was awarded to the editorial team of the Scottish Geographical Journal made up of Rhian Thomas, Martin Hurst and Emma Laurie, based at the University of Glasgow, to recognise the remarkable job they have done helping improve its quality and growing its impact factor to its highest level ever.

The Scottish Geographical Journal (SGJ) Editorial Team (left to right, Martin Hurst, Chris Philo, Rhian Thomas, Emma Laurie), RSGS President's Medallists

We were also delighted to present the RSGS Shackleton Medal to Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, in recognition of her outstanding example of compassion in global leadership. Dame Jacinda was in Glasgow for the Scottish screening of Prime Minister, and during the presentation she thanked RSGS for the honour, sharing the fact that Shackleton was one of her lifelong heroes.

Dame Jacinda Ardern FRSGS, RSGS Shackleton Medallist

Alongside this, we maintained a steady calendar of events throughout the year, with many popular inspiring people such as Jasmin Paris and Paul Murton. We ran two more of our ever-popular Discovery Days at the Fair Maid’s House, focused on Memorable Maps with Ordnance Survey, and the 250th anniversary of the discovery of South Georgia, with climber Stephen Venables. We also continued to host monthly online Meet the Experts sessions, as well as additional events such as hosting the Friends of Pando and Satya Tripathi from Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet.

Jacinda Ardern talk in Edinburgh

This year we launched our Education Matters appeal, aiming to raise funds to create a continuation of our free Chalk Talks video lessons. Through this, we hope to cover additional topics including fieldwork skills, weather and climate, insight into university geography and interdisciplinary learning, and in 2026 should see the first of these come to fruition.

We opened the Fair Maid’s House with a new exhibition, Portraits of the Past, showcasing a collection of historic and rarely seen glass slide images from our archives.

Portraits of the Past exhibition slides

Our Writer-in-Residence Jo Woolf released her latest book Voices of the Earth, telling fascinating stories of enterprise, innovation and adventure. Alongside some of the famous names like Sir Ernest Shackleton, John Rae, Gordon Buchanan, Rory Stewart, Chris Packham and Lewis Pugh, Voices of the Earth also features remarkable, but less well known historical and contemporary characters such as Gertrude Bell, Alexander Kellas, Myrtle Simpson, Doug Allan, Alice Morrison, Sal Montgomery, and many more. 

Voices of the Earth contributors at book launch event in Perth (left to right: Mike Robinson, Donald Lamont, Mark Evans, Doug Allan, Jo Woolf, Polly Murray, Alice Morrison, John Shears, Hazel Robertson).

We had a wonderful night for our Christmas event, A Wild Night In, at Perth Concert Hall on 5th December. The audience heard from four leading wildlife film makers; Mandi Stark, Doug Allan, Libby Penman and Gordon Buchanan, who shared inspiring stories alongside stunning images and footage.

A Wild Night In speakers Mandi Stark, Doug Allan, Libby Penman & Gordon Buchanan

Looking ahead, 2026 will be as busy as ever. Defending science, advising on policy, championing compassion and exciting people about geography and the world around them – all of which remain more pertinent than ever. Plus, the second half of our Inspiring People talks series kicks off in January, featuring a wide range of speakers, including the Seas the Day team, Dan O’Neill, Paul Murton, Alice Morrison and Jen Stout, among many others.

As the office will be shut over the festive period, we want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our valued members, friends, partners and supporters for your continued backing, and to wish you a wonderful Christmas and Hogmanay. We look forward to seeing you in 2026.