Shropshire youngsters are being reminded about the fun activities planned over the half-term holidays in connection with the DarwIN Shrewsbury Festival.

Wiggly worms, a Lego workshop, fabulous fossils and educational talks are specifically aimed at children as part of the festival which is running throughout February at various venues around the town.

The festival celebrates the life, work and legacy of Charles Darwin, with events centred around the birthday of the Shrewsbury-born naturalist on February 12 - including Shrewsbury Parkrun which asked runners to get into the spirit by wearing a selection of Darwin-inspired outfits.

The festival is organised by John K Hughes, Darwin Festival Manager, and Shrewsbury Civic Society, supported by Shrewsbury BID and Original Shrewsbury.

Mr Hughes said: “Events focused on getting youngsters more involved in the festival get underway on Wednesday, February 12, with two talks at a free event for Year 5 and 6 children taking place between 1pm and 3pm at the Barnes Theatre at Shrewsbury School. 

“The first talk by Dr Matthews-Bird, Why Are Big Mammals Rare?, will capture the imagination by taking children on a geological murder mystery investigation seeking to discover why the majority of large mammals have died out. 

“This will be followed by a talk from Dr Richard Case on the Voyage of the Beagle. 

He will be exploring how an unexceptional schoolboy, Charles Darwin, became one of the world’s most famous scientists. Dr Case will also help his young audience understand what the Beagle voyage might have been like. 

“Lego Explorer, a Darwin-themed Lego Workshop, takes place at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery in The Square between 10.30am and noon on Saturday, February 15. It’s a chance for children aged five and over to find out more about the life of Darwin and build their own Lego model inspired by the man himself.

“Darwin’s Wiggly Worms takes place at Wroxeter Roman City at 10am and 2pm on Monday, February 17 and Sunday, February 23. It’s a free fun drop-in event with no bookings or tickets required, although normal admission fees apply for exploring the rest of the Wroxeter site.

“Youngsters will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the young Charles Darwin by exploring the archaeology of the Roman city and having a go at testing the theory behind Darwin’s Worm Stone. They will also learn how worms from over two millennia have helped to bury ancient buildings - and they will be able to make their own wiggly worm to take home.

“Fabulous Fossils on February 20 is a free drop-in event for budding young, or even older geologists. It is being held between 10.30am and 4pm at The Cut Visitor Centre, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, in Abbey Foregate.

“It’s a chance to see a collection of Shropshire Fossils, learn about the weird creatures that formed them and how they did it. It promises to be a fascinating insight into the world as it was hundreds of millions of years ago.”A full list of DarwIN Shrewsbury Festival events can be found at https://darwin.originalshrewsbury.co.uk/