2 SCIENCEbig bangs, bad smells & bold ideas

Monday 13th February

“I love fools’ experiments. I am always making them.”

Fun Physics with EnginuityShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyThe team from Enginuity will be holding interactive experiments throughout the day – come along and join in. It’s an explosive day out! Workshops from 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Meet a ScientistShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyDr Jeremy Pritchard is a flamboyant, inspirational scientist from Birmingham University. Come along and find out what it’s like to be a scientist and learn about evolution and the world of science.Workshop from 3pm-4pm£3 per person Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Special offer: Buy tickets

to both workshops for £5

Tuesday 14th February

Outback2basics: Survival of the FittestShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyJoin Outback2basics on a journey through the ages. Learn about the evolution of tools from wood, bone and stone to metal and their adaptations to our practical world. Learn how to make fire using a 100% natural method, the way our ancestors would have done. Try your hand at making a primitive fire lighting kit and use this to make an ember. Suitable for families and children from 7 years.Tools workshop 10am-12pm • £3 per person Fire workshop 1pm-3.30pm • £3 per person Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Wednesday 15th February

“...From so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.”

The Animal ManMeet, handle and fall in love with some truly beautiful animals. All the favourites will be there, including the creepy crawlies! Learn more about adaptation, evolution and Shrewsbury’s

most famous son, Charles Darwin. Face up to and change your perceptions and preconceptions about some wonderful creatures. It’s cheaper than therapy! Times: 9.30am-10.30am • 11am-12pm • 1pm-2pm • 2.30pm-3.30pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

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Special offer: Buy

tickets to both

workshops for £5

Tangled Bank workshops with Lesley McKnightShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyMake amazing animals from scrap materials. Suitable for the whole family, please come prepared for a messy time!Workshops from 10.30am-12pm & 2pm-4pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Thursday 16th February

Fun Physics with EnginuityShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyThe team from Enginuity will be holding interactive experiments throughout the day – come along and join in. It’s an explosive day out!Workshops from 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Darwin’s Lab with The Field Studies Council Shropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyThe young Darwin carried out lots of experiments in a shed next to his Shrewsbury home. Help recreate some of Darwin’s early experiments and have a go at some simple kitchen science you can do back at home.Workshops from 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”

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Special offer: Buy tickets to both workshops for £5

Special offer: Buy

tickets to this

and Animal Man

workshops for £5

5Friday 17th February

Our Changing World: The Dinosaur, the Dodo and the Dormouse with Museum on the MoveShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyJoin the award-winning Museum on the Move for an interactive, multi-sensory exhibition that uses specimens and objects from museum collections to explore the process of extinction. Handle dinosaur bones, use a microscope to look at trilobites and stand next to a Mammoth’s thigh bone.What happened to the dinosaurs? Why did the Dodo disappear? How can you help rare and threatened animals today? 10am-4pm, Drop in for free, no booking required.

Darwin’s dinosaursShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyMake your own dinosaur to take home, using scrap materials and your own imagination. Lesley McKnight joins Shropshire Wildlife Trust to lead these energetic family workshops for families. 10am-12pm & 1.30pm-3.30pm£3 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Make a fossilShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyLiz Etheridge, Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s very own geologist will be sharing her passion for fossils and helping you make your own plaster cast of a trilobite, crinoid or ancient shark’s tooth. It’s messy fun, so please come prepared!10am-12pm & 1.30pm-3.30pm • £3 per person Advanced booking is essential as places are limited Special offer: Buy

tickets to both workshops for £5

SHOWStours, talks & trails

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11th-18th February

Darwin’s Shrewsbury ToursTake a guided walking tour of Darwin’s Shrewsbury. Daily at 2pm. Meet at the Visitor Information Centre at Rowley’s House, Barker Street. Adults £4.50, Child £2.50 Numbers are limited so booking in advance is essential 01743 281200 or guided.tours@shropshire.gov.uk

Darwin’s Love... and the beauty of the River SevernAs it is Valentine’s Day, come and relax on board Sabrina and let our local Blue Badge guide, Pam Powis, provide an entertaining, informative and memorable commentary

about Darwin’s own love life and the close union between the Darwin and Wedgewood families. The River Severn loop in Shrewsbury is one of the most stunning in the UK and there is no better way to appreciate it than via Sabrina. Duration: 1 hour • Departure: 4pm • Boarding point: Victoria Quay (By Welsh Bridge, SY3 8LH) • Adult: £8 / Child: £4Tel: 01743 369 741 • Email: info@sabrinaboat.co.ukWebsite: www.sabrinaboat.co.uk

“There is grandeur in this view of life…”

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Saturday 11th February

Walk in Darwin’s footstepsPreston Montford Field Centre, Montford Bridge, ShrewsburyCharles Darwin spent most of his childhood exploring local wild places, particularly along the River Severn near Shrewsbury. Join us on a guided walk around the grounds at Preston Montford to experience the magic of this area in winter and look for signs of early spring. 10am-12pm £2 per person • Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Sunday 12th February

Darwin Birthday Toast and Walk Morris Hall Courtyard, ShrewsburyAfter drinking your annual toast to Charles Darwin in the Morris Hall Courtyard, join Jon King (founder of the Darwin Festival) on a guided tour of town centre sites that the young naturalist knew well. 12pm-2pm • Free

The Darwin Memorial Lecture 2012 Dr Jim Endersby, University of SussexWalker Theatre, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury‘Sympathetic Science: Charles Darwin, Joseph Hooker and the passions of Victorian Naturalists’Jim Endersby is the author of the prize winning ‘A Guinea Pig’s History of Biology’ and ‘Imperial Nature: Joseph Hooker and the Practices of Victorian Science’. Dr Endersby is also the editor of the most recent edition of Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’. His lecture will be aimed at a general audience and looks behind the scenes at the friendship of Darwin and Hooker, their correspondence, the novels they read and their reaction to family events and tragedies such as the deaths of children. 2.30pm • £10 per person Please call Box Office (01743 281281) • mail@theatresevern.co.ukAdvanced booking is essential as places are limited

8Wednesday 15th February

Film: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (90mins)The Hive- 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury. Suitable for a family audience.KinoKulture, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and The Hive are proud to be hosting a screening of this wonderful, award-winning film. Insects are often greeted with a shudder in the Western world but in Japan these tiny creatures are a source of admiration and enthralment.

Meet the film-makerAmerican naturalist and film-maker, Jessica Oreck, spent six weeks in Japan filming the country’s fascination with insects.

Take part in a Skype Q&A with Jessica in New York at 4.30pm

3pm-5pm • Adult £5 • Child (under 16) & Shrewsbury Film Society members £3 The Hive box office: 01743 234970 – early booking is always advised! DVDs and posters will be available to purchase for £9.99 on the day.

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Friday 17th February

Exploring Darwin’s Garden with Nick Baker Join TV’s Nick Baker on an exploration of Charles Darwin’s garden in the heart of Shrewsbury. Learn more about Darwin’s life and his fascination with the natural world.

10am-12pm • £3 per person Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Shropshire Wildlife Trust 50th AnniversaryKeynote speech by Nick BakerShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyNick Baker is well known as a TV presenter and natural historian. Nick talks about the early influences that shaped him and highlights ways in which we can all inspire a new generation of enthusiastic naturalists. Nick will be signing copies of his natural history books after the talk.

1pm-2.30pm • Suitable for a family audience • £5 per personAdvanced booking is essential as places are limited

10Saturday 18th February

Meadow Arts Darwin Festival SymposiumShropshire Wildlife Trust, ShrewsburyMeadow Arts in conjunction with Cardiff University is hosting this symposium to accompany their contemporary art exhibition ‘House of Beasts’ at Attingham Park (National Trust) Shrewsbury. It will explore the cultural, philosophical and ethical significance of human-animal relations as portrayed in the exhibition by bringing some of the artists involved into conversation with leading academics on human-animal relations. The aim of the symposium is to engage with emerging sensibilities and the questioning of human/nonhuman animal relations. Its objective is to offer complementary perspectives to Darwinian and other scientific perspectives on nonhuman animals. 9.30am-5pm • £15 per person (includes lunch) Advanced booking is essential as places are limited

Sunday 19th February

Curators’ tour of House of Beasts exhibitionAttingham Park (National Trust), Shrewsbury, SY4 4TPAn opportunity for symposium delegates to join the curators of the House of Beasts exhibition and Attingham Park’s curator and conservator, for an exclusive tour of the House of Beasts exhibition.9.30am-12.30pm • Free for delegatesAdvanced booking is essential as places are limited. Book your places via Mandy, email: mandy@meadowarts.org

“At last I fell asleep on the grass, and awoke with a chorus of birds singing around me...”

11Cafe Sci @ The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse

Give your grey cells a good work out with a series of evening events at The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse.

Each café is FREE, informal and innovative. We’ve managed to get some pretty inspirational speakers too. Come along for a coffee and see what you think.

Please book your places direct with Shrewsbury Coffeehouse (see page 2)

Monday 13th FebruaryDr Jeremy PritchardDr Jeremy Pritchard is a scientist with a Twitter feed and a Facebook fan page. He has been described as “awesome”; his ability to defend evolution has “flair few can muster”. Join us for a lively evening of evolutionary chat covering randomness, Boeing 747s and Kylie Minogue. 7pm-9pm

12Tuesday 14th FebruaryButterflies of Llanymynech talk by Dr Simon Spencer

There is a site straddling the English and Welsh border that is a nationally important haven for over half of the UK’s butterfly species. Learn more about the butterflies of Llanymynech and the pioneering work being undertaken to protect them.

Dr Simon Spencer works for Butterfly Conservation and has lived on an organic smallholding in Wales for more than 30 years. He has been fascinated by butterflies since his childhood. 7pm-9pm

Wednesday 15th FebruaryThe Natural History of The MarchesThe Welsh Marches are a mixture of mountains and moorlands, farms and wooded river valleys.

Andrew Allott, author of the recently published New Naturalist title Marches, brings together a wealth of material into a beautiful presentation celebrating our local wildlife. 7pm-9pm

13Thursday 16th FebruaryDarwin and TwitterWould Darwin have used Twitter? You may laugh, but social media has proved to be a powerfully effective means to spread new ideas and change the way we think. Can social media dissolve boundaries to create “biospheric” thinking and communication? Jon King, founding director of the Shrewsbury Darwin Festival is presently the senior eCommunications Officer at Shropshire Council. 7pm-9pm

Friday 17th FebruaryCitizen ScienceJoin Martin Harvey from the Open University for a chat about wildlife recording and Citizen Science. What is it? How does it work and what are the benefits and drawbacks of large scale science experiments? Martin will give a demonstration of the OPAL iSpot website, linking novice wildlife spotters with experts in the identification and mapping of British wildlife, and some of the other OPAL citizen science surveys. If you are a novice or expert, this event is for you. 7pm-9pm

14Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Visitor CentreOpposite Shrewsbury AbbeyOpen: Monday – Saturday 10am-4.30pm Free entry

193 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6AH01743 284280

Shop An excellent range of bird food & feeders Delightful range of gifts, books and cards Wildlife friendly plants & seeds

GardenEnjoy a gentle stroll in our tranquil garden among herb, flower and vegetable beds; fruit trees, climbing roses, hops, hedgerows and special wildlife features.

Room hireAtmospheric, spacious and well-equipped, the Old Infirmary provides an enjoyable setting for training, conferences and events.Available Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm

Ring 01743 284280 or email katep@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk to discuss requirements, check availability or for a price list.

152012 Events at Shropshire Wildlife Trust Half term & holiday events for children Rural crafts & gardening workshopsSee www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk for full details, or call 01743 284280 for more information.

Potato Day Saturday 11th February 2012 Over 40 varieties of potato on sale Vegetable seed and onion setsWhether it’s a window box or an allotment, you are sure to find new potato varieties alongside traditional favourites. There will

also be fun for the family with children’s crafts and home-made cakes on sale throughout the day. 10am-3pm FREE ENTRY

Wildlife FairSaturday 28th April 2012 Find out how to create a wildlife-friendly garden

through planting, ponds and animal homes. Stalls selling local crafts, books and produce Children’s bug hunt and wildlife craft activities 10am - 4pm FREE ENTRY

Green FairSaturday 7th July 2012 A showcase event for local organisations Stalls selling eco-friendly products Recycling and energy efficiency advice Crafts & local produce Live music10am-4pm FREE ENTRY

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Booking Information: Please book your places for all events at Shropshire Wildlife Trust unless otherwise stated. Café Sci events should be booked directly with Shrewsbury Coffeehouse (see below).

Shropshire Wildlife Trust193 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6AH

Phone: 01743 284280Email: katep@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.ukOur visitor centre is open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm

Café Sci @ The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse Pages 11-13Advance booking is highly recommended. All Café Sci events are FREE entry, but charges are made for food and drink.Phone: 01743 242610 / 07582 601272In person: 5 Castle Gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AEOur box office is open daily from 10amEmail: jessicahkendrick@gmail.com

Festival venues