Arthog Outreach

World Environment Day June 5th 2022

As you know we at Arthog Outreach are passionate about the outdoors and the importance of looking after the planet. We have ONLY ONE EARTH! https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

We signed up to Telford & Wrekin’s pledge, to go carbon neutral by 2030, as soon as we heard about it, and we are Climate Champions for the council.
Since Dec 2020 we have also been part of a working group devising a structure for environmental best practice, management, and education within the outdoor provision/education sector called Future Footprints.

It is now accepted that we are living at a time where we must act urgently to change our existing systems and ways of relating to the planet. This change must be at every level; personal, community, national, and global. At Arthog Outreach we are in the privileged position of being able to introduce children and adults to the beauty and benefits of the outdoors and can reconnect them and instil in them the concept of stewardship of the environment.

The Future Footprints initiative is a means of ensuring we get our own house in order and have a positive impact through the lives of all those we have contact with. Starting with our actions at home and at work in our immediate environment, we can begin to make changes for the better.

We hope you find inspiration, as we have done, from the following extract from Love Letter to the Earth (2013), by Thich Nhat Hanh:
You may be used to thinking of the earth as only the ground beneath your feet. But the water, the sea, the sky, and everything around us comes from the earth. Everything outside us and everything inside us come from the earth.
We often forget that the planet we are living on has given us all the elements that make up our bodies. The water in our flesh, our bones, and all the microscopic cells inside our bodies all come from the earth and are part of the earth. The earth is not just the environment we live in. We are the earth and we are always carrying her within us.
If we think about the earth as just the environment around us, we experience ourselves and the earth as separate entities. We may see the planet only in terms of what it can do for us.
We need to recognize that the planet and the people on it are ultimately one and the same. When we look deeply at the earth, we see that she is a formation made up of non-earth elements: the sun, the stars, and the whole universe. Certain elements, such as carbon, silicon, and iron, formed long ago in the heat of far-off supernovas. Distant stars contributed to their light.
When we look into a flower, we can see that it’s made of many different elements, so we also call it a formation. A flower is made of many non-flower elements. The entire universe can be seen in a flower. If we look deeply into the flower, we can see the sun, the soil, the rain, and the gardener. Similarly, when we look deeply into the earth, we can see the presence of the whole cosmos.
A lot of our fear, hatred, anger, and feelings of separation and alienation come from the idea that we are separate from the planet. We see ourselves as the centre of the universe and are concerned primarily with our own personal survival. If we care about the health and well-being of the planet, we do so for our own sake. We want the air to be clean enough for us to breathe. We want the water to be clear enough so that we have something to drink. But we need to do more than use recycled products or donate money to environmental groups.
We have to change our whole relationship with the earth.

What an adventure....

We love having an adventure at Arthog Outreach.

Todays learning outdoors was inspired from the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" written by Eric Carle.

What a lovely snug cocoon!

A big shout out for Alan, who has been awarded a very special Golden Leaf from Short Wood Primary.

Well done Al!

If you don't have a head for heights, you may want to scroll past this!

Martin led some of the team on a mountain expedition last weekend.

Can you guess which mountain they climbed?

Photos from Arthog Outreach's post

It is our 15th anniversary this year for the Arthog Outreach Centre!

Back in 2007, Al and his companion - Sam the dog, set up at the back of the Phoenix School, and a year later set up base at our site in Wellington.

Over the years we have delivered 1000's of activities allowing children and adults the opportunity to explore, discover, enhance environmental awareness and understanding in the great outdoors!

Arthog Outreach - Adult Development Programme

You already know that we deliver fantastic outdoor education programmes and we are pleased to say that this ethos carries on into our Adult Development Programmes. The flier below gives an indication of what we can offer, but as always if there is something you specifically want then ask. The courses on offer this year are listed below.

Outdoor First Aid Courses
May 26 & 27
July 21 & 22
October 6 & 7
November 10 & 11

Lowland Leader Courses
October 1 & 2 - Lowland Leader Training

Camping Leader Courses
September 4

If you are interested in any of these courses then either call 01952 387378 or email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Al & Outreach Team

Celebrating the greening up of Spring!

Planned May Day activities from today's Carers Group.

Constructing picture frames using square lashing, creating faces out of leaves and story telling!

Can you spot the Green Man?

Why not try these activities with your children over the bank holiday?

Some really simple advice from Young Minds that could help to diffuse a challenging situation.

Fun in the sun canoeing on the Mere for this Year 5 group.

Cracking feedback from last week's first aid course.

The best course I have been in for years!

Just where has the time gone?

We Stand with Ukraine 🇺🇦

Thank you to all of those that have contacted us looking to support the people of Ukraine with thoughtful donations that could make all the difference.

If you would like to donate, our county donation point is Shropshire European Organisation c.i.c
As of Wednesday 2 March, they are most in need of the following:
- thermal mugs
- disposable plates and utensils
- thermal blankets (such as in ambulances)
- wide adhesive tape
- empty boxes

If you would prefer to donate money rather than items, British Red Cross are fundraising to support their vital work.

We continue to show our support by lighting Southwater One in shining blue and yellow throughout the week. A beacon of solidarity as these awful events unfold 💙💛

It's International Wheelchair Day. Martin and I took one of our all-terrain chairs to the top of the Wrekin to see if it was possible. Looking forward to helping more people enjoy this amazing place. Al
(The blue bags we filled with rubbish we collected)

Sunrise on the Long Mynd, with a solitary pony outlined by soft golden light. Directly behind the pony is Ragleth, with Titterstone Clee seen on the horizon. I took this picture while standing on Ashlet Hill, above Church Stretton, on what was a very cold morning!

Its been a very busy term for us and what a lovely way to end it by receiving lots and lots of thank you letters from the pupils of Short Wood Primary!

A fab opportunity if this works for you.

A big thank you to the pupils from Short Wood for this lovely hand made Thank you card.

The pupils from year 3 & 4 spent some exciting days canoeing this month with the team from Arthog.

Here's something that might be of interest to all your budding gardeners out there - a seed swop organised by Transition Telford.

A superb day to be canoeing for this Year 3 Group.

Big Arthog is looking for a few staff.

We are looking for new people to join the Arthog OEC team in 2022.
Our centre works mainly with primary and secondary schools providing real adventure, and happy residential experiences for young people. So the 3 job roles we are recruiting for are very important to enable our continuing success.
Arthog OEC is under the ownership and management of Telford and Wrekin Council and the post comes with an excellent Local Government employee package, including Local Government Pension.
For more information then visit https://www.telford.gov.uk/aoec/info/12/jobs

Gorgeous day canoeing in Telford.

Day 11 Santa - planning day 2

It's been a long day, even for Santa.

There has been a lot of scratching of the head, with logistics and those good old internet glitches!

If only he hadn't upgraded his phone to the latest software - Grrrrr!

Time for a good old cup of tea!

Day 10 - Santa and the Admin - Rostering and Operations!

Santa is a little behind with his letters and lists this week, due to the impromptu driving test on Wednesday.

He has spent the day busily taking video calls, TEAM meetings with the elves and making sure the Reindeer are resting, in readiness for their favourite night of the year!

Day 8 - Santa - PCV Category D1 test!

After the maintenance checks yesterday, we sent Santa for his PCV Category D1 test.

We forgot to tell Santa, he didn't need to use his magic dust on the mini buses! We had a very pale looking driving instructor after Santa's antics.

Footage will be posted tomorrow!

Day 7 Santa - Maintenance Checks

Santa called Al to assist him with a routine maintenance check on the sleigh !

Santa is planning on a test drive later tonight.

We think it’s a bit windy for him!

Day 6 - Santa’s Navigation Skill Training

We pointed Santa in the right direction by helping him with his map and compass skills.

Day 5 - Santa - its a balancing act!

Santa revisited the low ropes today and we were amazed with the progress he has made since the beginning of the week.

Next on Santa's training list is a refresher on map reading and orienteering!

Day 4 - Santa's Endurance training with the A team.

Santa spotted the canoes - and within a flash we were at Jackfield!

Pure paddle power magic! He has now named one Rudolf 2!

Day 3 - Cross Training - with the "A" team

Santa is determined to get "wheelie" fit!