British Science Week is coming to town with Dorchester Science Festival and the return of the family science fair this month.

As well as the ever-popular fair, the first Dorchester Science Festival will take place over 10 days from March 6 to 15. Book a ticket here.

The family science fair is aimed at children aged four and over and will include more than 15 stalls to allow hands-on learning and experiments. There will also be a range of activities, hosted by local scientists - find out how physics plays a part in everyday life, discover the invisible world of microbes, explore the biodiversity of the natural world, discover how magnets and gravity work, test your knowledge of water systems, fossils and seaweed and even handle a 205-million-year-old meteorite.

Emma Talbot of Dorset Museum said: "We are delighted to be hosting the Dorchester Family Science Fair on Sunday, March 13. It's such a great opportunity to show families our incredible new galleries, in particular our Natural Dorset Gallery where you'll see 250 million years of natural history come alive.

"We're hoping families will enjoy exploring and discovering how Dorset people collected, investigated and made important discoveries about the natural world - and what we can do to protect them.

"Families will also have the opportunity to get up close to the Weymouth Bay pliosaur, learn about Alfred Russel Wallace and his work with Charles Darwin and marvel at the vast collection on display."

As well as the family science fair at the museum, a free workshop will be held at the town hall with Worldlife, where you can learn about a range of exotic animals. Sessions are free but booking is essential.

The family science fair is being coordinated by Dorchester Town Council, Bournemouth University, the Thomas Hardye School, Dorset Museum and the Institute of Physics.

Prof Genoveva Esteban at Bournemouth University said: "We are delighted to be involved again in co-organising the family science fair. It is a unique opportunity to explain our research to the general public, and students cherish the two-way interaction with people of all ages. It's a win-win situation."

Other events across the week will be hosted by Dorchester Arts, Waterstones, Dorchester Library and Learning Centre, the Thomas Hardye School, Cape Farewell and Brewery Square.

Charlotte Spracklen, centre manager at Brewery Square, said: "We are delighted to be taking part in the Dorchester Science Festival this year and can't wait to host our Slimy Science Day on March 12.

"We have a great selection of events taking place throughout the day for kids to learn about reptiles, other exotic animals and even make slime and rockets.

"We love being able to host events like this at Brewery Square, keeping the town centre thriving and getting families involved in fun activities. We hope local children will be able to take home some valuable skills and fun facts they can impress their friends at school with."

As well as hosting 'The Magic of Science' show, Dorchester Arts has a series of activities taking place under an installation of Luke Jerram's Mars, which couldn't be better timed for Mars Day on March 14. For full details on the events, visit dorchesterarts.org.uk

The Dorchester Science Festival is programmed as part of the national British Science Week, a 10-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Judith Wardlaw, one of the co-organisers for Dorchester Science Festival, said: "It is very exciting to see so many organisations coming together and offering a wide range of activities and events for the 2022 Dorchester Science Festival.

"The Covid pandemic has been very challenging over the past two years but has also highlighted the value of work in STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths.

"We aim to inspire, educate and entertain people of all ages, including many who might not usually be inclined to engage in science-based activities."

Some of the Dorchester Science Festival events are ticketed. For full information, visit Dorchester Science Festival's Facebook page or pick up a programme from the library, post office, Dorset Museum and more.

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