CHMAS Training

30/07/2026

Please be aware that the ‘snow’ gates are still closed and we are still limiting vehicle access across the Long Mynd until further notice. The fire risk is still very high and this measure is to protect livestock, livelihoods, wildlife and the local community.

We apologies for the inconvenience but this will hopefully only be for a temporary period of time.

Please help to prevent wildfires by following these tips if you are visiting the countryside.
1) Call 999 immediately if you see any signs of fire.
2) Leave the BBQ at home and don’t light campfires or gas stoves. They’re not permitted in open countryside across the Shropshire Hills.
3) Don’t smoke on the hills.
4) Take all your rubbish home with you.
5) Camping and over night stays are not allowed on the Long Mynd
5) Spread the word not a fire. Share this with anyone you know who is heading out to the countryside and encourage them to leave anything that creates a spark or flames at home.

Please do everything you can to protect people and wildlife in these hot and dry conditions.

30/07/2026

What a blast the last couple of days have been working on a FAB Camp for Arthog Outdoor Education Centre. We have been for a hill walk on Pared Cefn Yr Hir, an ice cream in Tywyn, canoeing on the Mawddach Estuary and a swim body board in the sea.

I have worked with some exceptional bereaved families and support workers and bereavement counselors and very much looking forward to supporting them again in the future.

28/07/2026

This week, I have been working on a FAB Camp for Arthog Outdoor Education Centre. FAB Camps is a charity that works with bereaved military families. You can find out more about this remarkable charity by using the following link below.

The whole group are on a reset day today but so far we have been climbing at Barmouth Slabs, walked in Coed Y Brenin to see the waterfalls and been canoeing on the Afon Dysynni. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with this group and hopefully they will have many happy memories to look back on.

Discover memorable activity breaks for bereaved military families across the UK. Join us for fun and support on our FAB camps. Learn more!

24/07/2026

Dinner and then time to pack the van
for my final week of work at Arthog Outdoor Education Centre before my annual summer break.

Let the fun commence.

24/07/2026

The CHMAS First Aid Lite course teaches CPR and more and is delivered free of charge to voluntary groups.

Your actions could help double someone’s chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

That’s why it’s vital everyone knows CPR ❤️

22/07/2026

That's another mighty fine activity week for Arthog Outdoor Education Centre complete. This Year 7 group got stuck into the following activities.

Team Tasks - getting to know each other.
Climb & Scramble - reaching new heights together.
Gorge Walking - testing our nerve on the jumps.
Hill Waling - to see some great news

Given the heat, there was also lots of swimming in the sea.

21/07/2026

If you know you know.

It’s always fascinating to see what went on behind the scenes of the Carry On films.

This wonderful photograph was taken during the filming of Carry On Up the Khyber in Snowdonia in 1968. While the story was set on the North West Frontier of British India, the dramatic Welsh landscape around Snowdon doubled as the famous Khyber Pass, proving you don’t always need to travel halfway around the world to create movie magic. The lower section of the Watkin Path was used for many of the outdoor scenes, and a commemorative plaque now marks the location.

The cast and crew spent around ten days filming in the area, with local people even appearing as extras, helping to bring one of the most memorable Carry On films to life.

Looking at behind-the-scenes photos like this really makes you appreciate just how much work went into these films. Between the cameras, lighting, costumes and stunning scenery, you can appreciate that there was a huge amount of effort behind every laugh.

21/07/2026

🔥 Gates leading up to the Long Mynd have been shut because of the high risk of wildfires in the area.

READ MORE:
📲 https://bbc.in/4flmffp

21/07/2026

A nice little write up on Glaciers.

GLACIAL LANDFORMS

Glaciers are large masses of ice that move slowly over land under the influence of gravity. As they move, they erode (wear away) rocks and also deposit (drop) the materials they carry. This results in the formation of different glacial landforms.
There are two major categories of glacial landforms formed by the action of glaciers:
~ Erosional landforms
~ Depositional landforms.

A. EROSIONAL LANDFORMS
These are landforms created when glaciers erode (wear away) rocks through abrasion and plucking.

1. CIRQUE: A bowl-shaped hollow with steep sides, often containing a small lake called a tarn.

2. ARÊTE: A narrow, sharp ridge formed between two adjacent cirques.

3. ROCHE MOUTONNÉE: A bedrock hill with a smooth, gentle stoss side and a steep, rough lee side, indicating the direction of glacier movement.

4. U-SHAPED VALLEY: A broad valley with steep sides and a flat floor formed when a glacier widens and deepens a river valley.

B. DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
These are landforms formed when glaciers deposit sediments such as rocks, sand, gravel, and clay after melting.

1. MORAINE: A ridge of unsorted rock debris deposited directly by a glacier.

2. DRUMLIN: A streamlined, elongated hill of glacial till with a steep stoss end and a gentle lee slope.

3. ESKER: A long, winding ridge of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater streams flowing beneath a glacier.

4. KETTLE LAKE: A lake formed in a depression left behind after a buried block of ice melts.

CONCLUSION
Glaciers are powerful agents of landscape formation. Through erosion, they carve features such as cirques and U-shaped valleys, while through deposition, they create landforms like moraines, drumlins, eskers, and kettle lakes. These landforms provide evidence of past glaciation and are important for understanding Earth's geological history.

Follow Geology forum 1 for more interesting geology insights.

17/07/2026

That's a wrap for another week of first aid training for CIWW. Two cracking cohorts who really took charge of their learning and improving their performance during the practical sessions.

Excellent feedback from both courses and I also have a few ideas to improve my future course delivery too.