| Despite its name the Association of British Fungus Groups is made up of individual members. It is for anyone who wants to discover and enjoy mushrooms and toadstools, whether their interest is in natural history, painting, photographing, modelling, eating, or just having a fascinating day out with the family in the countryside. ABFG member groups exists for a number of reasons but one of them is to encourage new interest in a friendly and informal way. |
The more serious side of group activity lies in monitoring fungus stocks within its catchments area. It does this through its regular forays. Local group members collect representative numbers of each species they find and these are identified (determined) either during the foray or afterwards by the group recorder. These records are then held by the group and copied to various authorities so that they build into a national repository of data. |
Each ABFG group operates independently for the benefit of its voluntary members. The Association is here to serve on behalf of local groups, not the other way around. Each group has its own way of working but most carry out regular forays through the season with those who have greater experience helping those that are starting out on the learning curve. If, as a new member, you find that a group is not giving you the necessary help and encouragement, then it is not doing its job adequately. Some groups, not part of the Association, remain highly elitist and exclusive. |