Festival to celebrate Shrewsbury's Charles Darwin

The 2016 Darwin Festival kicks off this weekend in Shrewsbury with a bearded park run.

The festival, which will run from February 6-18 at venues across the town, is co-ordinated by Shropshire Wildlife Trust and aims to celebrate the life of Charles Darwin.

There will be events for people of all ages and it all kicks off with the Bearded Park Run on Saturday from 9am.

A series of talks, guided walks and children's activities are scheduled to take place, including 'Darwin's Legacy: Evolutionary Psychology and the Social Brain', a lecture delivered by Dr Sam Roberts, senior lecturer of psychology at University of Chester. The talk, which starts at 7pm on February 10, takes place in Shrewsbury Unitarian Church, the church that the Darwin family attended for two generations.

• For more information on what's on this weekend in the region click here

On February 12 a toast to Darwin on what would have been his 207th birthday will be led by Darwin Festival founder Jon King at the Morris Hall courtyard at 12pm.

Several events are taking place on February 13, including guided tours of Darwin's Garden at The Mount, a talk about grey squirrels at the Shropshire Wildlife Trust visitor centre, and the child-orientated 'Zap, Crackle and Pop' with Marty Jopson of The One Show at The Hive in Belmont Street.

The final week of the festival will see a number of children's events take place at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, including recreations of chemical experiments.

Darwin was born and raised in Shrewsbury and his fascination with the natural world began in his childhood.

Stuart Edmunds, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said:

"Darwin's theory of evolution turned the world on its head and it is amazing to think that it was here that his passion and inquisitive nature began to take shape. The festival offers something for everybody."

See here for more information.