What is a record?

A record is simply a note giving four pieces of information:

Who - The full name and contact details of the person who made the record.

What - The name or a picture of the plant or animal seen.

When - The date on which the sighting was made.   Ideally this should be the day/month/year.

Where - The place it was seen.   A location name (i.e. the nearest location shown on an Ordnance Survey map) and the nearest town or village (e.g. Dean Wood, Chorley).   Ideally at least a six figure grid reference should also be included (see below). Addresses and Post Codes can also be used as locations for records. 

Records must contain these four essential pieces of information to be of use to us. You can also include other information about the site or species, e.g. habitat details, the number of individuals seen, sex, age or behaviour of the individuals observed.

Ordnance Survey has prepared a guide to finding a six figure grid reference (e.g. SD123456). Most of the LERN area is covered by the 100km grid square "SD" a very small area in the South of the county around Simonswood Moss lies in the "SJ" 100km grid square.

Your records belong to you, by sending them to LERN you are giving us permission to use them in accordance with our policy framework. Should you wish it we can enter into data sharing agreement which can be tailored to meet specific requirements.