Mendip Rocks! Festival is back next weekend, kicking off six weeks of geological events that will bring to life the story of the rocks that have created the Mendip Hills.
This year’s festival blasts off with the ‘Let’s Rock’ family fun day event at the Frome Heritage Museum on Saturday 17th September from 10am until 4pm.
Experts at the ‘name that fossil’ table will welcome any unidentified fossil find, there will be hands-on “making the Mendips mobiles”, and the Somerset Earth Science Centre will have ‘make and take’ painting fossil casts, and the Quarry Faces history display.
There will be a specialist collector of fossils, rocks and minerals with a selection available for pocket money prices, as well as some fun rocky experiments for children to try.
The highlight of the day will be ‘Frome’s Hidden Geology and Tunnels Tours’, guided walks with Andy Ziminski, a local stonemason, explaining the history of Frome’s geology. Tours are at 10.30am and 2.30pm and are bookable at the museum via info@frome-heritage-museum.org tel: 01373 454611. The walk costs £5 per adult, and £2 for children (over 10 years only).
Festival co-ordinator Adel Avery said, “Mendip Rocks Festival will reveal the ancient stories that have shaped a unique and very special landscape. It’s a great chance to see some of Mendip’s best kept geological secrets, with many events being held at sites that are not usually open to the general public.
“The festival offers something for everyone from family fun days, stone carving workshops, geological fieldwork, and new this year ‘Earth Science School’ – three days of escorted field trips with Dr Peter Hardy to understand the story of the making of the Mendip rocks.
“As usual there will also be guided tours in Somerset’s largest working quarries, to see how and why we need the Mendip rocks.”
There will be numerous events in and around Frome throughout the festival. To find out more about them and book your tickets, visit www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk
Mendip Rocks! 2016 festival is organised by the Somerset Earth Science Centre in partnership with the Mendip Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) with support from Natural England and Somerset Wildlife Trust.
