A day in Birmingham: Think Tank and Climbing

Last Sunday we headed to Birmingham for a day exploring the Think Tank centre and getting active at Creation Climbing…

We started our day at Think Tank getting to look at everything from an old steam train, lighthouse and fighter plane to cars, water mills, penguins and a fossilised ithiasurs. We also got to learn about our own human history: the components of our blood and how our mouths move to make sounds.

*Did you know, the Penny Farthing bike got its name from the coins of the same name? At the time, the Penny was the largest coin and the farthing the smallest so next to each other they looked just like the bike!

The planetarium show let us sit down and settle back as we watched the sky in its 24 hour cycle. We were told about how constellations came to be named (it goes all the way back to the Ancient Greeks!) and how it’s best to find somewhere away from artificial light if you want to look at the stars! Have you tried to find the plough and the North Start yet?

After the planetarium show it was time for lunch to energise up ready for the short coach journey to Creation Climbing.

At climbing we split up in to two groups; while half of us did crafts and games, the other half climbed; after an hour we switched. The team at Creation were great at getting everyone harnessed up and explaining the best technique. The lovely instructors were also fantastic in supporting everyone and keeping us all safe.

I think it’s fair to say everyone loved climbing and that you were all fantastic at it! Especially those who were initially apprehensive but did give it ago. But after an hour each for the two groups, we were all exhausted and the coach journey home was a much quieter and sleepy affair.

All in all, another great day trying new things for members and volunteers - I’m sure we’ll be climbing again at some point in the future!