Jump to: Art/Music/Theatre Walks/Talks/Boat Trips Charmouth
And now for the science bit…
Every year the Fossil Festival welcomes teams from some of the UK’s top natural science organisations and institutions. Without their generous contributions the show quite simply could not go on…
Jurassic Coast – Natural England Marquee
Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team
01305 225101 www.jurassiccoast.com
Lyme Regis lies in the middle of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Visit the Jurassic Coast marquee to learn about this astonishing 95-mile stretch of coastline from our interactive display, and see how ancient Jurassic seas had a rich biodiversity of their own. Discover some Jurassic fossils in our Fossil Dig Boxes, help piece together a cast of a real 4m-long dinosaur skeleton that was found in the rocks near Lyme Regis, and paint plaster casts of fossils to take home. Along with the Jurassic Coast team and volunteers, the Jurassic Coast Trust will be in the marquee to explain how their fundraising efforts help to support education and conservation along the entire length of the World Heritage Site.
Natural England
www.naturalengland.org.uk 07500 127401
Learn about biodiversity in the South West with Natural England. Make a model of the world’s fastest bird or of one of only nine reptiles found in England. Play with and take away a special biodiversity card game featuring species from the South West. Collect your Natural England passport and start exploring some of the country’s most beautiful nature reserves.
Natural England Marquee, main beach, all day Saturday and Sunday
Fossilteering
A cross between a treasure trail and orienteering! Find your own way along Monmouth Beach using signs from the natural world past and present. A set of clues will lead you along the beach, discovering natural treasures on the way and exploring the biodiversity of the area as it is today and as it was millions of years ago.
Collect your free Fossilteering pack from the Natural England – Jurassic Coast Marquee.
Grand Marquee
Natural History Museum
020 7942 5000 www.nhm.ac.uk
This year the Natural History Museum will be sending more than 20 scientists to the Festival, including paleontologists, mineralogists, entomologists, zoologists, meteoriticists, a microscopist and a lichenologist – something for everyone! Bring your fossils in for identification, and try sieving for shark’s teeth and ‘gold panning’. Learn about meteorites and meteorite impacts, visit the DNA kitchen, and peer down the microscope at the tiniest things in the natural world. There will also be displays about animals of the seashore and the world of insects. See also Walks, Talks, and Boat Trips
Lyme Regis Museum
01297 443370 www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk
Visit the ‘Jurassic Garden’ and see ferns, pines and other strange and wonderful plants which have their origins in prehistoric times. See living plants which were once thought to be extinct but have been rediscovered. Find out about where and how they grew, and how they have evolved into the plants we see today. 10:00-16:00
Lyme Regis Museum is open Free during the Festival 10:00 - 17.00
See superb fossils and discover the extraordinary story of Mary Anning, the history of the town and its role in the history of science. Do the museum quiz and win a prize!
British Antarctic Survey
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a leading environmental research centre and is responsible for the UK’s national scientific activities in Antarctica. Examine their unique Antarctic fossils and some biological specimens from current populations. See also Talks
Dinosaur Isle, Sandown, Isle of Wight
01938 404344 www.dinosaurisle.com
Dinosaur Isle museum features life-size dinosaur skeletons and reconstructions, fossils and interactive displays. Weigh up their hands-on display of dinosaur bones and other fossils from the Isle of Wight.
Dorset Geologists' Association
www.dorsetgeologistsassociation.com
Membership of the DGA is open to anyone interested in Dorset geology. Delve into their display of landslips of the Dorset coast, along with photographs, diagrams, fossils, ‘Wildlife on the Chalk’, and plans for the new Kimmeridge Museum.
National Museum of Wales
Explore the fossils of Duria Antiquior, Henry De la Beche’s 1830 fantastical reconstruction of Dorset in the early Jurassic period. See also Talks
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
023 8059 6666 www.noc.soton.ac.uk
University of Southampton
NOC,S is one of the world's top five oceanographic research institutions. They manage the UK’s national research vessel fleet and carry out strategic research in ocean science and technology development. Festival visitors can explore the ocean environment, steer a virtual ROV (remotely operated vehicle) through the deep ocean, and see how the greenhouse effect works using a thermal camera. See also Music and Film
University of Plymouth
01752 232407 www.plymouth.ac.uk
Walk like a dinosaur! Take a trip down the dinosaur runway. The team will measure you up and tell you what you might have eaten and how you would have lived… if you’d been a dinosaur.
Cobb Gate
National Trust
01297 489481 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wessex
Join the National Trust’s Wessex team and try out their interactive demonstration of coastal erosion. The stand will also have a full complement of NT interpretative information and guides.
