Shrewsbury gets ready to mark Darwin's birthday

Shropshire Wildlife Trust is organising the Darwin Festival from February 8 to 22.

The first event will be a concert 'singing Darwin's praises' at St Chad's Church, St Chad's Walk, at 6pm on Sunday. St Chad's Choir will perform choral evensong in celebration of the Darwin Festival with guest preacher the Rev Dr Gareth Leyshon.

One of the most popular events is expected to be Darwin's garden official opening, which will take place on Sunday, February 14, from 10am until 3.45pm.

Visitors will be able to relive Darwin's childhood by following the tours along 'Middle Walk', where the young Darwin began to grow curious about the natural world and the mysterious wildlife within it.

Starting out from Frankwell, the tours will reveal facts and uncover secrets about the Darwin family during the early 1800s, as well as future plans for the site.

The Darwin Memorial Lecture will be held on Sunday, February 15, at Theatre Severn. Dr Gregory Radick, professor of history and philosophy of science at Leeds University, will be giving the lecture where people will have the chance to explore the questions of Darwin's views on inheritance.

Dr Radick's main area of research is the history of biology and the human sciences from the eighteenth century to the present, with particular emphases on Darwinism, genetics and animal behaviour.

During half-term there will be the chance for young scientists to head down to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre on Tuesday, February 17, to create some mini explosions, or on the Thursday for some fossil fun. Creative youngsters will also enjoy an art and craft workshop on the Wednesday at

The Hive, Belmont, where they will be able to create their own colourful creatures for Darwin's Beagle voyage using a range of recycled materials and fabrics.

Towards the end of the festival there will be the opportunity to explore Darwin's Shrewsbury on a guided walk on Saturday, February 21. The walk will be suitable for all ages.

Kirsten Henly, Shrewsbury Business Improvement District manager, said: "This is an exciting time for the town, being able to celebrate Darwin, Shrewsbury's most famous son, in a unique and interactive way through this special festival. The programme of events lasts 15 days and fits well with the half-term break."

For more information, go to www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on