Peterborough palaeontologist's bid to uncover the past - and inspire future generations - with plans for new national centre

Expert Jamie Jordan has made countless significant and important discoveries in Peterborough and further afield – from a-155-million-year-old sea monster to woolly mammoths.

He currently runs the Fossil’s Galore in March – having started out running a website aged 13 in 2003, and outgrowing a number of premises. The site in High Street, March currently acts as a museum and lab – but Jamie and his team are now outgrowing the premises after 10 years – and he has t-rex sized plans for the future.

Jamie said: “We are looking to raise funds to open up a much larger premises, to really focus on the research and education elements.

"We are looking to raise £2 million, and create a national centre for prehistory here in Cambridgeshire.”We need to create more room to work on our specimens, display some of the 12 million fossils we have, and get more visitors in. We run school visits, and have people come in to learn about palaeontology from across the world – that is something we would like to expand.

"We are looking for sponsors to help us, as well as looking at getting Lottery grants, working with the Combined Authority to get funding, but we think we can do something special.”

Jamie. who runs Fossil’s Galore with partner and director Sarah Moore, said that working with dinosaurs was just one of the high points of his job – and he loved inspiring others.

He said: “Youngsters come to the centre, get invested and interested, and want to learn more. When they are old enough, they can then come and volunteer, work in our prep labs.

"It is something that you would normally have to go to university for, but we can do it here.

"We have had people come from all over the world – America, Italy, Netherlands, Australia. We can take them under our wing and help them.

"I never got the help like this when I was younger – my parents supported me as much as they could, but there was only so much they can do.

"Often people come along who are very quiet, or neurodivergent, and they come and change as people – they excel so much.

"The best part of what we do is being able to help others.”

Jamie and his team travel across the country to make their discoveries, including Indie the Iguanodon – and analysis of the significant skeleton is still taking place.

But many of his finds take place closer to home, including the Opthalmosaur – a species of 155 million year old sea reptile Ichthyosaur – found close to Peterborough this month, and the 450,000 year old tusk found in a quarry near the city earlier this year. He also uncovered the bones of another prehistoric reptile, thought to possibly be a new species of plesiosaur.

Anyone who can sponsor Jamie, or help fundraise, is asked to contact him at https://www.fossilsgalore.com/