As many of you may be aware, the Scottish Stonemasons’ Marks Project has recently sent out a survey to our volunteers. The survey had a few specific objectives. We wanted to seek theopinions of volunteers as to how the project is managed and their views on participation. It was sent to all those who had participated in surveys between April 2025 and March 2026. This was a total of 69 participants. The feedback was almost entirely positive, and we are glad to be able to outline some of the results. In addition, there were several useful suggestions made by respondents about (minor) changes to methodology and equipment, which will be actioned for future surveys.
A total of 20 responses were received, a response rate of 28.9%. We are grateful to hear from many people who had previously participated, and we consider this a great response rate. We had responses from people across all our different survey sites which was great to see. Outcomes to some of the questions are as follows – Q5. Morning Briefing 100% positive. Q6. Initial Training 100% positive. Q11. Supported during surveys 95% positive. Q13. Did you enjoy participating 100% positive. Q16. Do you now feel confident when taking part? 100% positive. Q24. Will you participate in future surveys? 90% positive. Everyone that responded felt supported through the process and were happy with the initial training and morning briefings.
Many people have showed interest in the research side of our project. We are now workingon how to get more volunteers involved in this part of the project. The same can be said for photography and report writing which is still ongoing.We have changed some of the equipment to better suit the project. We now have updated torches. We have also added laser pens to the equipment list.
The project is achieving its objectives and in a way in which the volunteers feel supported and included in what goes on. The majority are keen to participate in the future, and we look forward to implementing minor changes to improve everyone’s experiences. Look out for surveys in the future as we are always keen to make sure everyone is supported.
