Nottinghamshire Festival of Science and Curiosity to bring free science workshops and activities to Newark, Southwell, Bingham, Ollerton and more

A festival full of free, hands-on science activities will return once again this February half-term.

From VR to neuroscience, and slime making to LEGO modelling, a range of workshops, fun days, and educational activities are set to help spark curiosity of STEM subjects for young people across the county.

This year’s Nottinghamshire Festival of Science and Curiosity, run by education charity Ignite!, will include sessions in Newark, Southwell, Ollerton, Bingham, and many other areas.

Megan Shore, programme manager at Ignite!, said: “Our mission is to spark curiosity and give families — especially those with limited access to STEM activities — a chance to enjoy hands-on experiences that make science fun and engaging.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate ten wonderful years of inspiring children and young people across our region and can’t wait to bring joy and inspiration to budding young scientists and their families once again.”

On February 17 there will be a Science Fun Day at Southwell Minster, which is open to all ages on a drop-in basis, between 10.30am and 2pm.

The day will include a range of hands-on interactive activities, games, crafts and experiments from Nottingham Trent University, the Society for Experimental Biology, and Minster volunteers — plus a ‘Microscopic Minster’ trail.

There are also still places available on workshops where booking is essential — including the Entangled Enigmas workshop at Ollerton Library and the Let’s Talk Vaccines workshop at Bilsthorpe Library, both on February 21.

The Entangled Enigmas workshops will run at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm, and 2.30pm, when attendees can join Maths Blast for a blend of escapology and slime making.

Let’s Talk Vaccines will take place from 1.30pm to 2.45pm, and 3pm to 4.15pm, with a range of activities by University of Leeds scientists including storyboarding, clay modelling, LEGO activities, VR, and an interactive quiz.

Both workshops are available for all ages. Booking is essential via the festival’s website.

Other activities in the area, which have been fully booked, include the Unlock Your Memory workshop at Newark Library on February 19, which will include hands-on activities led by neuroscience students from the University of Nottingham, and stop-motion animation workshops at Bingham Library on February 20.

These are just some of more than 50 free events which will take place across 45 venues during the festival — which also includes a reading from Newark-area author Emma Oldham of her book, The Whale Who Disappeared, at Nottingham Central Library on Febraury 11, and SEND sessions at Nottingham Cathedral.

Since its launch in 2015, the festival has reached more than 55,500 people to share the wonders of science in a fun, engaging, and accessible way.