Thornbury to host its first ever science festival

Already famous for its annual arts festival and newly resurrected carnival, organisers hope the Thornbury Science Festival will attract even more visitors to the town.

The six day event will include mock crime scenes with visitors playing crime scene investigators, a science themed Question Time, a two-day exhibition with displays from local sixth form students, and an activities day where local people will be able to join in a scrap-build challenge and water rocket challenge.

A highlight for the festival will be a visit from internationally acclaimed scientist Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who is credited with the greatest astronomical discovery of the twentieth century, discovering the first radio pulsars. She will be in Thornbury to discuss the evidence that predicts the end of the world.

Festival director, Chris Holland, a former chemistry teacher, said he hoped the festival would help people understand science, he said: "I once stood in a Thornbury supermarket queue behind a lady who would not allow her purchases to be laser-scanned. She insisted that the prices should be entered by hand and I’ve often wondered what she thought the laser would do to her groceries.

"But while some of us are savvier about technology than others, all of us, if we're honest, are ignorant about some things we regularly take for granted."

He added: "It should be of interest to anyone who's curious about the world and we've tried to cater for those who may have struggled with science at school as well as for those who've gone on to make a career of it."

The festival’s workshops and events will be held at a number of Thornbury locations including the Chantry, the Armstrong Hall, The Castle School and Marlwood School.

The Thornbury Science Festival will run from Monday, July 4 until Saturday, July 9.

Tickets will be on sale at the Town Hall from Monday, June 20. A downloadable booking form is available from www.mythornbury.co.uk/science