IN PICTURES: Hundreds of bearded runners kick off Shrewsbury's 2016 Darwin Festival

The 2016 Darwin Festival got off to an energetic start with more than 300 people running through the Quarry in Shrewsbury on Saturday morning.

Usually at that time, the Quarry is usually home to Shrewsbury Parkrun but this weekend organisers wanted to help kick start the annual celebration of Charles Darwin with a bearded twist, and also raise funds for the Darwin Garden that is being restored on the Mount in Shrewsbury.

Each year the Darwin Festival is co-ordinated by Shropshire Wildlife Trust, which takes place around the time of Darwin's birthday on February 12.

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

Bryony Carter, people and wildlife officer at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said one of the biggest aims of the event is to inspire the next generation of scientists.

"Usually we start it off around February 12 but this year we were approached by Shrewsbury Parkrun, which is a great way to get it going. The turn out for the run has been fantastic," she said.

"The Parkrun is raising funds towards the development of Charles Darwin's garden on the Mount - it was his childhood garden, where he grew up with his dad and brother, and did his thinking walks, which I like to think inspired his thinking.

"We (Shropshire Wildlife Trust) have bought a section of that garden as a legacy for the town.

"We aim for the Darwin Festival to encourage and engage as many people as possible. We've got lots lined up, including plenty of half term events, Marty Jopson from the One Show will be hosting 'Zap, crackle and pop' at the Hive, as well as plenty of talks and activities."

Paul Bowes, Shrewsbury Parkrun event director, said he was delighted with the turn out for the bearded run.

He said: "It's a good turn out, every week we usually attract more than 300 people, and we can say the same for the special bearded run.

"The ethics of Parkrun is very much community focussed, it's all about the community, so the bearded run ties in perfectly with that."

This year's Darwin Festival will run until February 18.

Following Saturday's run, 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.

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.

See http://www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/darwin-festival-2016 for more details about the 2016 Darwin Festival.

Did you take part? Send your pictures into Star Witness for a chance to win £100!