LivingGeography Newsletter #27
Jul 3rd-9th
Welcome to the twenty seventh weekly newsletter providing a summary of key posts on the LivingGeography blog.
Each newsletter will usually include a number of sections:
a digest of posts from the LivingGeography blog (and other blogs)
any important geographical news
an update on any personal projects
details of books that I am reading, or cultural experiences
a couple of nice images taken this week
events that you might be interested in
Posts this week included
A report on the event I co-presented at in London on the 3rd of July, invited by David Mitchell of UCL IoE to talk about Creativity, along with Margaret Roberts.
The theme was Creativity. We also had inputs from some Fawcett Fellows and David himself on an exciting humanities project called Living Cities which will launch later in the year, and I will share the details here.
Check out the graphics and data provided by Climate Central.org in their Climate Shift Index.
Some new resources from Kate Stockings as part of her role as a National Park Ranger for the London National Park City. She has produced five fact files of projects helping to make London greener, healthier and wilder.
Daniel Raven Ellison was a guest on Alastair Humphreys’ Living Adventurously podcast, talking all things Slow Ways and a lot more besides, including Guerrilla Geography. As always, this is a great listen with plenty to talk about.
A post on the new three part programme to mark the 40th anniversary of Live Aid, which followed on from the Band Aid single, whose lyrics are dissected in many a geography department. This had some interesting insights, particularly when they revisited a girl who was on the original news footage, and also interviewed an Ethiopian politician who welcomed Geldof when he arrived to visit, and was not impressed about the title of the single saying that as one of the oldest Christian communities in the world they certainly knew about Christmas…
Next weekend sees some extended highlights from the original shows.
Out of interest I looked on eBay at how much original tickets for Live Aid were selling for and they’re up around £400 +
A new app launches today called Wildling, backed by some of the UK’s leading conservation organisations and individuals, including the RSPB, the Marine Conservation Society, Forestry England, and advisors such as Deborah Meaden, Ben Goldsmith, and Sir Tim Smit.
It’s a free app designed to make finding and enjoying nature simpler for everyone. Whether you’re in a city, suburb, or rural area, Wildling helps users discover local nature, explore ideas for getting outdoors, and find calming, inspiring content that can develop confidence and connection with the natural world.
It’s suitable for families, first-timers, educators, and anyone looking to reconnect with nature, and feel better for doing so.
Also on my GCSE Natural History blog - pay a visit if you haven’t before.
News
Well, the main news is that I’m now on my summer holiday - having completed my 97th term of teaching - so you can expect fewer posts on LivingGeography as I take a little pause now and again. The Tour de France has started and I’ve spent some hours watching already with plenty more to come. Also a holiday trip to the dentist and as usual there was some treatment needed. The joys of old age…
Projects
Writing of course - while watching the cycling all day. This will continue for a while yet - plenty to write and deadlines to meet. I’ve also been completing the first stage of moderation for my batch of applicants for the GA’s Primary Geography Quality Mark, with the Secondary Geography Quality Mark to come as well during August. I’ve also been continuing the final phase of reviewing for the Oak KS3 Geography materials which are being produced by the Geographical Association.
Speaking of the GA, it was back in 2004 when I joined the GA’s Secondary Phase Committee which opened all sorts of opportunities for me. I left when I started working for the GA but rejoined afterwards for a few years.
Ellie Barker: ‘The Curious Geographer’ is part of the Post-16 and HE Phase Committee and says:
We’re keen to welcome more members from Higher Education and Universities to the Post-16 and HE Phase Committee. If you’re interested—or know someone who might be—please get in touch! Our committee currently brings together a diverse mix of educators from schools, colleges, A Level, IB, and HE settings. However, we’re currently weighted towards school and college teachers, and we’re keen to broaden our membership to better represent the HE sector.
Together, we work on a wide range of initiatives—big and small—to support the work of the GA and the wider geography community.
Books
I had a few books set aside as summer reads. I’m still waiting on some possible big curriculum-related projects to crystallise - with time set aside in the new academic year for some serious wordsmithing. These include Judith Scheele’s wonderful ‘Shifting Sands: a human history of the Sahara’. Read a preview of the first 31 pages here, and you’ll probably want to read it yourself.
I’ve also got a new book thanks to Val Vannet. She bought it for me while in Iceland last week. It’s the new book from Ari Trausti Guðmundsson and explores Iceland’s response to hazards. I’ve already used it to inform my writing.
Images - not too many taken this week
Ely Cathedral during school prize giving - Alan Parkinson - shared on Flickr under CC license
Events
Why not start the new academic year down at the RGS finding out more about the opportunities offered by the National Education Nature Park.
Details of the event are here.
Katie Hall is the keynote speaker and there are contributions from other excellent colleagues. You can also sign up for this webinar that I’m presenting a couple of days later. Free of charge.
There has never been a better or more important time to embed geographical careers education into your curriculum. Studying geography provides students with knowledge and transferable skills that will reward them personally and advance them professionally.
In this free online CPD session, Alan Parkinson, author of Why Study Geography? and the Society's Vice President: Education, will take teachers through the ways in which geographical career options and pathways can be embedded seamlessly into the curriculum in fun, interesting and useful ways.
Alan will cover topics such as why embedding careers education into your teaching is so important and how this benefits students, as well as providing an overview of the key messages you could be using to ‘sell' geography's vocational strengths to students and parents/carers.
He will also provide a brief overview of the types of jobs that geographers do and where to find information and resources to support your careers work.
The session will be full of ideas, examples of good practice and inspiration to help you think creatively about showcasing the skills and opportunities students gain when they study geography.
And here’s a Summer Challenge from Anthony Bennett of Internet Geography.
The Internet Geography Summer Challenge 2025 is a fun and engaging set of activities designed for students aged 11–14 to complete over the summer holidays (or in the last week of term - get the computer room booked).
It includes three exciting geography challenges that explore distance, global events, and travel planning — all designed to boost real-world skills and curiosity about the world. Whether your school is taking part in the national competition or running it as a stand-alone activity, it’s a great way to keep geography alive over the break!
We’ve launched TWO ways to take part in this year’s Internet Geography Summer Challenge – perfect for KS3 students aged 11–14!
Option 1 – PLUS Schools (Subscribers):
Your students can enter the national competition and be in with a chance to win one of three £30 Love2Shop vouchers! Each subscribing school can submit one entry by 24th September.
Plus Subscriptions are low cost and recommended.
Option 2 – Open to All Schools:
Run the challenge as a fun end-of-term or summer activity – perfect for encouraging independent learning. (National entry not included.)
Student deadline: 10th September 2025
National Internet Geography submission deadline: 24th September 2025
Winners announced: 8th October 2025
Entries to: admin@internetgeography.co.uk
Find out more and download the challenge sheet here
https://www.internetgeography.net/sc2025/internet-geography-summer-challenge-2025-downloads
Let the race across the world begin!
Another summer opportunity.
The Bank of England is asking the public to give their views on what theme they would like to see represented in the design of the next series of banknotes – through a consultation launching today (2 July 2025).
Banknotes have showcased notable historical figures since 1970, when William Shakespeare became the first person other than the monarch to feature on a Bank of England banknote. There are many ways to represent the UK on banknotes. The consultation gives people the opportunity to express their views on what theme they would like to see featured on the next series of banknotes.
The six potential themes they have identified include:
notable historical figures: This theme, which is used on our current series, could be depicted by portraits of specific historical figures who have made an important contribution to UK society and culture. We will not represent living people on our banknotes, with the exception of the monarch.
architecture and landmarks: This theme could be depicted by images of iconic buildings and other places, such as castles, bridges or heritage sites across the UK.
arts, culture and sport: This theme could be depicted by images of the arts, music, literature, customs, food, film, television or sport which define the UK.
noteworthy events in history: This theme could be depicted by images of important events and movements which have shaped the UK.
innovation: This theme could be depicted by images of important advancements, technologies, discoveries or ideas developed in the UK.
nature: This theme could be depicted by images of native plants, animals, or natural landscapes such as rivers, lakes, mountains or coastal scenes from around the UK.
The public can also suggest other themes for the Bank to consider. Do you have suggestions that are geographical (or otherwise) in nature? Send them in. This has some potential geographical crossover.
Steve Brace and the GA have shared some ideas. You have until the 31st of July to suggest some places or images.
The Exeter GA is running their first event in September - a little way off, but you have time to sign up now perhaps. It will involve branch CPD and a meet up for geography teachers in the local area. An opportunity to network, meet other geography teachers, share ideas and listen to the brilliant Matt Finn. Well worth attending if you are in the area. Free of charge and hosted by Isca Academy.
Scan the QR code to find out more.
Rachel and Kate Williamson (FCCT) - Co-Chairs of the Exeter GA branch.
Why not take part in the Global GeoARTBlitz 2025
Imagine a worldwide celebration where art meets science in a frenzy of creativity and exploration. GeoARTBlitz is not just any event, it's a dynamic fusion of geography and art, inspired by the exhilarating concept of bioblitzes. These events ignite a passion for nature as people across the globe come together to observe and document their natural surroundings using the iNaturalist app.
From 19-27 July, unleash your creativity in the great outdoors. Capture your experiences through journal entries, paintings, poems, music, or any other form of artistic expression that nature inspires in you.
Don't forget to capture detailed metadata, longitude, latitude, time, date, elevation, and even weather conditions, to enrich your artistic contributions.
Share your masterpieces with the world by uploading them to the GeoARTBlitz event on iNaturalist. Watch as your creations come alive on the map, creating a tapestry of artistic expressions from every corner of the globe.
Hosted by the RGS Art of Exploration Collective, this event is more than just an art exhibition. It's a movement to communicate and conserve our planet's natural wonders through the universal language of art.
Join me this evening for a Primary Teachmeet hosted by GA President Hina Robinson.
It runs from 4-5pm.
You can book to join us here if you’re quick!
I'll be doing a shortened version of a session I led for the Prince's Teaching Institute on mapping in the Primary classroom.
This year’s BSG x Fi Wi Road Internship webinar, Contours of Inequality, takes place on Monday 14th of July, 17:30–19:00.
Join this year's cohort for an in-conversation event featuring Professor John Kusimi (geomorphological impacts in Africa) and Dr Kathryn Adamson (Greenland and Indigenous knowledges), as they explore climate, extraction, and the future of our planet.
This event may be of particular interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Link to sign up: Contours of Inequality - BSG x Fi Wi Road Webinar
Emma Espley has shared details of her next Virtual Primary Geography Subject Leader Network Meeting. It will take place in September. These events are always very popular and reasonably priced.
And finally.
A sneak preview of something I’ve made a small contribution to, working with some very fine people who’ve done most of the hard work and which is coming soon to BBC Bitesize…. if you were at the Festival of Education last week, you may have seen one of the flyers for this new addition to the Planet Planners section of the website. Planet Planners will be accessible via Roblox for added interactivity. I’ve had an input in the teacher materials that accompany the varied geography scenarios.
