Earth in 100 Seconds - crowdfunder open

We've used these films several times, and also welcomed Dan into school as a visitor. 

Daniel Raven Ellison has previously behind the making of a number of films, including:

The UK in 100 Seconds - narrated by the late Benjamin Zephaniah

The UK National Parks in 100 Seconds - narrated by Cerys Matthews

The Netherlands in 100 Seconds

See them here.

He is now planning to release his latest film.

Of the UK film, Dan said:

"I don’t think anyone really has a clue what Britain actually looks like. It's just too big and complicated for us to get a proper sense of proportion. And that’s a problem when people are making decisions about how we feed ourselves or how much more affordable housing we can build. Or, crucially, how much more space for nature we can have. If we don’t have a proper sense of what the country looks like then how can we fix our problems?"

His latest film is going to be his 'largest' yet: The Earth in 100 Seconds'.

Here's a preview:

What are we using planet Earth for? 

Each second of this film reveals 1% of land and how we're using it. Following on from the UK in 100 Seconds, UK National Parks in 100 Seconds and the Netherlands in 100 Seconds - watch this preview of Earth in 100 Seconds! Coming out in 2025, back the crowdfunding campaign so more people see it and get your name on the credits.

From family shoppers and geography teachers to national policy-makers, we want as many people as possible to watch this film so they can make better decisions for life on Earth.

You can help by backing this project.

The no-budget film has been made by a small pro-bono and volunteer team. 

All of your donation will be invested in boosting the number of people who see Earth in 100 Seconds - at festivals, events and online.

Once released, it will be free for anyone to watch or show the film, but we need your help to promote it.

Slow Ways for Geography Teachers

I worked with Dan from Slow Ways, Kate Stockings and Claire Kyndt to put together some ideas for geography teachers to engage with Slow Ways.

One of the ways is to get involved with a crowdfunding campaign to produce some large format maps of the UK showing the routes of Slow Ways.

With National Fieldwork Week coming to an end, this is another opportunity to spend time outside.

We need your help to approve and check existing routes. There's so much to be gained from getting involved.

Slow Ways Maps Crowdfunder

I've blogged about the Slow Ways project a number of times as it has developed.

It was featured on Countryfile on Sunday.

There is an option to purchase a large map of the UK with Slow Ways routes marked on which can be used to mark routes walked, or plan larger walks. There are 2 maps: a North Sheet and a South Sheet.

I've ordered a pair for me and a pair for the classroom.

Each map costs £5 and you can support the project on the link below.

A giant map of trails connecting all of Great Britain's towns and cities as well as every national park!?

Time to get:

🌈 dreaming
🐙 planning
✍️ drawing
🐌 hiking
💚 sharing

Back our crowdfunding campaign for £10 or more to get both maps! https://t.co/SRLQA9qmcV 👍 pic.twitter.com/xhzQ45zoc4

— Slow Ways (@SlowWaysUK) May 30, 2022

Slow Ways - another Dan Raven Ellison project we've got involved with

Just over a year ago, I was part of a team which met in person or virtually to begin the process of creating the Slow Ways network, initiated by Dan Raven Ellison. As we approached lockdown, the idea of walking for exercise and exploring our local areas became increasingly attractive.

I worked on creating some walks in familiar locations: close to home, along the Norfolk coast and in and around Ely where I work.

Slow Ways is an initiative to create a national network of walking routes connecting all of Great Britain’s towns and cities as well as thousands of villages. The beta website is now live. Take a look.

Using existing paths, ways, trails and roads, people can use Slow Ways routes to walk or wheel between neighbouring settlements, and combine them to create longer distance trips. It’s designed to make it easier for people to imagine, plan and go on walking journeys.

There are currently over 7,000 Slow Ways stretching for over 100,000km. This network of routes was created by 700 volunteers during the Spring 2020 lockdown, creating a unique Slow Ways map in the process.

The next challenge in 2021 is to walk, review and verify them all - checking 100,000km of Slow Ways in the process.

Slow Ways aims to inspire and support more people to walk more often, further and for more purposes.

While there are thousands of miles of paths linking places across Great Britain, there isn't a comprehensive and trusted network designed to help people walk off-road between towns and cities. That’s what the Slow Ways initiative, with its distinctive geometric connections, is creating.

UK National Parks in 100 Seconds

The new film from our friend Daniel Raven Ellison, with voice over from Cerys Matthews. Premiere was last night, followed by a panel discussion on the future of the UK's National Parks.

Watch the film below:

UK National Parks in 100 Seconds - Preview from Dan Raven-Ellison on Vimeo.

"What do the UK's National Parks really look like? To see what these landscapes are made-up of, let's go on a walk. Each second of the walk reveals 1% of our National Parks and how they appear from above. Are you ready for the UK's National Parks in 100 seconds"

Filmed from above and spoken by Cerys Matthews, this short film will likely change how you think about our National Parks forever.

What could we do to make the most of our National Parks? What do you think?

#UKNationalParksIn100Seconds

OS Maps - a few bits from this week

 OS Maps

Features of OS Maps from GeoBlogs

And a video with Dan Raven Ellison

Slow Ways - logo design competition

Earlier in the year, I joined the team of people who has been creating Slow Ways routes: walking routes to connect up the UK's towns and cities and other large population centres. These follow public footpaths and bridle ways and avoid busy roads.

The idea is another initiative from Daniel Raven Ellison.
The project now needs a logo.

The Slow Ways will be a network of 7,000 walking routes that connect Great Britain’s towns and cities as well as thousands of villages. People will be able to use the Slow Ways to walk between neighbouring settlements or daisy-chain them for longer journeys.
The first draft of the Slow Ways routes have been imagined and created in lockdown by hundreds of volunteers from across the country.
We now need a strong visual identity for the Slow Ways. In the future this might be used on signage, waymarkers and maps. For now, it will be used on the website we are creating as well as t-shirts, posters and in other places.
That’s why we’re organising this competition. We’re looking for a strong symbol for the Slow Ways that will give them a clear identity. You can see some examples of symbols used on trails around the world on this Twitter thread.

We are looking for a symbol that:

• is a snail or snail inspired
• is clear, bold and timeless
• can be stencilled
• can be easily adapted to one colour, but you can be as colourful as you like
• would look good big or small, on a map, waymarker, sign, pin-badge, t-shirt or poster

A snail was suggested by a Slow Ways volunteer and this has turned into a much-loved idea. Snails are slow and humble explorers that carry their homes on their backs, leave trails, are found nearly everywhere and, unknowingly, will actually share the Slow Ways with us. They also have a very distinctive and identifiable shape.

As well as having their symbol used for the Slow Ways, there will be a prize of £250 for the artist(s) of the winning design.

A judging panel will shortlist designs and pick the final winner. The panel will be made up of volunteers who have helped to draft the Slow Ways network and relevant experts.

Why not have a go and submit your entry using the link on this page.

Climate Change - Dan explains

Here's Dan Raven Ellison - geography legend - explaining the Greenhouse Effect - the gases that make the plane warmer than it would normally be.
Year 9, watch this before todays's lesson on TEAMS.

London National Park City crowdfunder

There has been a great deal of progress on Daniel Raven Ellison's campaign for London to become a National Park City.

 This will be launching in July, and Daniel has started a Crowdfunding campaign to ensure that as many Londoners as possible know about it. Why not support the project with a small donation.

Explorer Visit: Daniel Raven Ellison

On Friday, we were delighted to welcome Daniel Raven Ellison: a National Geographic Explorer to King's.
He came and spent the day with the geography department, and talked about his work on a number of projects. Much of Dan's work takes place in urban spaces, and explores how we can change them to improve them for people. He has a philosophy of "purposeful exploration" and his message was that we are all explorers from the moment we are born, and we don't need to go to exotic far away places to start exploring.
Dan introduced Year 7 and 8 students to projects including Route 125, where he completed 125 adventures with his son,  and his walk across all the UK's cities and national parks wearing a headset which captured his emotions. He spoke about crossing the world's largest cities, taking a picture every 8 paces.
For Year 10 and 12, he focussed on a project he has spearheaded for the last 4 years, aimed at making London a National Park City. He has the support of the Mayor of London, and is close to getting enough political support for this to happen in 2019. Dan outlined how this plan would improve the health of London's population and help with the theme of sustainability. He shared outcomes from work with universities and architects to rethink the city, which he has explored in a giant 600km spiral walk.
Dan has previously worked with Mr. Parkinson to co-write a series of children's books, and an iPhone app called Mission:Explore, and they have presented together at venues as diverse as the Glastonbury Festival and Microsoft HQ.

Dan's philosophy can also be seen on the Geography department's webpage, where there is a quote from him.

“Exploration is the physical manifestation of Geography. Under the inspirational guidance of their teachers, King’s Ely geographers not only learn about the world, but how to become explorers of, and place-makers in it.”

Daniel Raven-Ellison, National Geographic Explorer

Dan Raven Ellison, and KEJ Head of Geography, Alan Parkinson

Thanks so much for having me in. So many enthusiastic geographers with great questions and ideas. Brilliant to see. #NextGenerationOfExplorers

— Daniel Raven-Ellison (@DanRavenEllison) January 19, 2018

Interview with Daniel Raven Ellison

Useful particularly for those who came along to the Royal Festival Hall a few weeks ago…

Making London a National Park city

Making a National Park City

 

Could London really become the world’s first National Park City?

Accompanied by Miss Kyndt and Mr. Parkinson, a group of Geographers from Years 11-13 travelled down to London on Wednesday this week to an event at the Royal Festival Hall which had been set up to explore some of the benefits and trouble-shoot some of the barriers that might exist to this ambitious plan coming to fruition. The idea was first dreamed up by Dan Raven-Ellison in 2014, and has slowly gained traction, even gaining the support of Sadiq Khan. The students made their way through train delays to the evening of short talks and music, compered by comediene Josie Long. It was also a chance to experience the South Bank at night, with the London Eye lit up, and skateboarders using the Undercroft.


Dan Raven-Ellison will be visiting King’s Ely later in the term when he walks across Ely as part of his current project to traverse all the UK’s cities and National Parks.


Image: Students watching Andrew Simms talking at the Royal Festival Hall - Alan Parkinson

 

Greater London National Park city

Tickets available for the event in London next week for King's Ely Geographers to join Miss Kyndt and myself.

London: the making of a National Park City

One of several enrichment opportunities for Geographers at King's Ely…

Will be here in a week or so's time with some students…
Sounds like it will be a great event with a variety of speakers and activities…

Find out more and be inspired at an evening of entertaining performances and provocative thinking.

This landmark event explores what a National Park City is, what this means for London, and how our capital can soon become the world's first.

Hosted by comedian Josie Long, speakers include designer Wayne Hemingway, campaigner Fiona Reynolds, firefighter Simon Jakeman, as well as the Bollywood Brass Band, artists and poets.

Come along and see how a simple idea can help transform one of the world's greatest cities.

Line-up includes:

Josie Long, comedian
Wayne Hemingway, designer
Dame Fiona Reynolds, campaigner
Andrew Simms, economist
Bollywood Brass Band, musicians
Judy Ling Wong, community activist
Beth Coller, psychotherapist
Simon Jakeman, firefighter
Laila Sumpton, poet
Rifat Batool, headteacher
Dr Tom Coffey, GP
Jasmine Kamal-Pasha, photographer
Mathew Frith, conservationist
Rachel Bradley, sustainability manager
Paul Hamblin, national parks director
Daniel Raven-Ellison, explorer
Charlton Manor Primary, bee keepers
Andy Mitchell, CEO
Charlotte Webster, artist
Chris Romer-Lee, director, Studio Octopi

Making London a National Park City

Dan Raven Ellison is coming to visit us in September. Here he is talking about his idea of making London a National Park City.

A visit from Dan Raven Ellison

We are going to be visited by National Geographic Explorer Dan Raven Ellison at the start of the new academic year.
He is currently walking across all the cities and National Parks in the UK, and we will be walking across ELY as part of this project.

Just part of the exciting extra opportunities for King's Ely geographers in the new academic year.

StepUp Challenge Completed...

Dan Raven Ellison completed his challenge to climb the height of Mount Everest earlier today...

Thank you #London for looking after me during my 8848m climb through your skyscrapers, stations, flats, shops & car parks #StepUpMountain
— Daniel Raven-Ellison (@DanRavenEllison) September 17, 2014

StepUp Challenge - 3 of 3

Dan's challenge continues, and I will post when he reaches his target next week. He is scheduled to complete the journey in the Mayor of London's offices at City Hall.
He will also take in Wembley and other locations. Here's a few pictures that Dan tweeted over the weekend.

And here's a picture that I took on Saturday while I was down in London, showing some of the buildings that Dan has climbed... though he's still not been allowed to go up the Shard...

StepUp Challenge - 2 of 3

Our 2nd day of taking part in the StepUp Challenge took place today.


We need to create a press release.
- what did we do ?
- what is the StepUp Challenge ?
- where did we do our challenge ?
- how many steps did we have to climb ?
- a few quotes from people involved (you can invent these..)

StepUp Challenge - 1 of 3

Year 7s spoke to Dan today and climbed the height of the Shard as part of his StepUp Challenge.
Here he is on LondonLive earlier...