There’s plenty of family friendly events taking place in Shropshire over the Easter break, see our guide.
Egg-citing Easter Fun at Attingham Park and Sunnycroft
It’s almost that time of the year again when Cadbury teams up with the National Trust to offer families the ultimate day out with their popular Easter Egg Hunts.
This year, Attingham and Sunnycroft will be inviting families to unleash their inner explorer with adventurous quests to claim their chocolatey treat.
At Attingham, while delivering prizes, Bunny mischievously hid Lord Berwick’s eight golden eggs along the Mile Walk. Families are being asked to help Lord Berwick in the search for his golden eggs.
Attingham have two full weekends planned for Cadbury Easter Egg Hunts. You can beat the holiday rush on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March, 10am – 4pm, where there’ll also be Easter crafts for a small charge. Over the Easter weekend, children can go on the hunt for golden eggs from Good Friday through to Monday 28 March, 10am – 4pm. Each hunt is £2.50 per child and every single Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt will help support special places looked after by the National Trust for future generations to explore.
At Sunnycroft, in Wellington, Bunny was just as mischievous when delivering their chocolate prizes. Hiding clues around the bright and colourful spring garden, Bunny has set children the challenge to find all the clues to receive their chocolatey prize.
Travelling along hidden paths and over the stream, families will have to search high and low to find the clues. Families can go on the hunt around Sunnycroft daily, between Friday 25 and Tuesday 29 March, 10.30am – 5pm, (last entry at 4pm). Each hunt is £2.50 per child.
Egg Dancing, egg rolling and Easter bonnet parade
Easter weekend at Blists Hill Victorian Town: 25th – 28th March
Join the residents at Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge in Shropshire as they celebrate Easter in traditional Victorian style with egg dancing and rolling, plus an Easter chick trail, egg hunt and Easter bonnet parade, all taking place daily between Friday, 25th and Monday 28th March.
A highlight will be the unusual pastime of egg dancing held opposite the town’s Print Shop at 11am every morning. Once blindfolded, the townsfolk will dance across the street without stepping on eggs that are carefully placed along their route. Have-a-go after the demonstration and win a yummy chocolate reward for completing the course without stepping on an egg!
Then try your hand at decorating eggs in the Goods Shed between 11am and 1pm ready to compete in the egg rolling championship on The Green at 3pm, with more chocolate prizes for owners of the winning eggs. And remember to wear your best Easter Bonnet to join in the traditional parade at 2pm; the town’s milliner will be judging the finest creations in the Pleasure Gardens.
Other family activities include candle dipping – using Victorian techniques to make multi-coloured candles to take home; a lesson in the school house at 12noon and a ride on the horse-drawn bus between 1.30pm and 3pm, while a self-led Easter chick trail and Easter egg hunt will be on offer throughout each day. There’s also a sing-a-long in the New Inn between 1pm and 4pm.
Tuesday 29th March – Sunday 10th April: Easter school holidays
As the Victorians enjoyed Easter so much, they celebrated it beyond the core weekend so the fun will continue throughout the school holidays. Most of the activities will continue between Tuesday, 29th March and Sunday, 10th March plus egg and spoon races at 2pm on The Green (the Easter bonnet parade, egg decorating and rolling and Easter egg hunt will take place over the weekend only).
Open 10am to 5pm Blists Hill is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
Easter at the British Ironwork Centre
Visit the British Ironwork Centre between 25th March and 10th April (excluding Easter Sunday) for a fun packed Easter Egg hunt.
Find the coloured eggs to claim your treat & certificate. For an eggstra special prize look out for the golden egg!
11am-3pm, £3 per child to be paid on the day, pre-booking essential as there is 20 spaces for each time slot! Call 01691 610952 to book.
Design and make jumping creatures and catapults at Enginuity
Easter holidays 25th March – 10th April
Use your imagination to design colourful spring loaded creatures and see how far they can jump at Enginuity, near Ironbridge, Shropshire during the Easter school holidays. Then make and experiment with a catapult to compare how far it can launch a ‘missile’.
The ‘spring loaded’ drop-in workshops at the design and technology discovery centre will be held from Saturday 25th March until Sunday 10th April between 10.30am and 3.45pm. Craft materials such as paper, card and plastic will be used to make the creatures and catapults, their design only limited by your imagination. Activities will vary from day-to-day and some additional costs will apply.
Open 10am to 5pm Enginuity is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
‘Cracking’ Easter activities on offer at Cosford
With the Easter break fast approaching, organisers at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford are busy preparing for two whole weeks of family entertainment. With a Missing Mascot Trail running over the Easter bank holiday weekend and two craft activities on offer during the week, children of all ages are sure to have a ‘cracking’ time.
25-28 March: Missing Mascot Trail
This Easter bank holiday weekend, families are invited to join in the search for one of the museum’s missing mascots. Percy the Penguin, an RAF airman’s flying mascot, has disappeared from his display case in search of a “cooler” home, leaving behind some clues for youngsters to solve and find out where’s he’s hiding. So, if you have any young detectives in your family and want to take part in the hunt for Percy, all you need to do is collect your free trail from the Visitor Centre on arrival. As a reward for completing the trail, there will be a Percy the Penguin bookmark for every successful detective to take home as a memento of the day. All correct entries will also be entered into a draw to win a £25 voucher to spend in the Royal Air Force Museum Shop.
29 March-1 April and 4-8 April: Easter Crafts
The Museum will be offering families the chance to take part in Easter themed craft activities. Youngsters can have a go at weaving an Easter basket and choose from a bunny or chick design. With no glue required, the colourful foam kits also include googly eyes and are an ‘egg-cellent’ way to give Easter treats as well as being perfect for egg hunts. Participation is just £2.00 per basket, plus for all the chocoholics there will be bags of chocolate eggs available to purchase for an additional £1.00.
In addition to the Easter baskets, organisers are taking inspiration from our feathered flying friends and giving children the opportunity to participate in ‘Bird Gliders’. Personalise your glider design using the colours provided before following the easy step by step instructions to build it. Test how well it flies and compete against your fellow participants by trying to land it in the RAF roundel target zone. All materials to build and decorate your bird glider will be provided by the museum. Participation in the activity costs just £1.00 per person.
Both Easter activities will take place in Hangar 1, nestled amongst the aircraft on display. Tickets to take part in all the Easter activities can be purchased from the Admissions desk on arrival at the museum.
The Museum is open daily from 10am and entry is FREE of charge. For further details visit www.rafmuseum.org/cosford.
Easter themed tile decorating workshops at Jackfield Tile Museum, Ironbridge
Create your own Easter themed ceramic tiles at family drop-in tile decorating workshops during the Easter school holidays at Jackfield Tile Museum in Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge. Designs can be as colourful and original as your imagination allows, perhaps an Easter bunny, baby chick, chocolate Easter egg or spring flowers.
The fun and informal sessions will take place between Saturday, 26th March and Friday, 8th April, excluding Easter Sunday 27th March and 3rd April.
The Victorian tube lining technique will be used to decorate the tiles, which are priced from £5 per tile (p&p extra to have your tile sent home after firing) plus the museum admission fee. Workshops start from 10am, but allowing up to 1½ hours to decorate your tile, last admission is at 3.15pm.
Open 10am to 5pm Jackfield Tile Museum is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
Easter at Severn Valley Country Park
Shropshire Council rangers at Severn Valley Country Park are celebrating Easter in style during the school holidays.
There will be ranger-led events each Wednesday and Friday, and throughout the holidays two self-led trails will be available for our younger visitors.
Self-led Easter Trail (suitable for pushchairs)
– Good Friday 25 March 2016 – Sunday 10 April 2016
Available from the visitor centre every day of the school holidays between 11am-3pm. Trail maps £2 each.
Self-led Twig Man Trail (not suitable for pushchairs, includes a walk of 1 mile on woodland paths)
– Good Friday 25 March 2016 – Sunday 10 April 2016
Available from the visitor centre every day of the school holidays between 11am-3pm. Trail maps £2 each.
The Great Severn Valley Duck Raft Race
– Wednesday 30 March 2016 10am-12pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm
Make your own mini raft from natural material from around the park. Take part in the duck race challenge. Waterproofs and wellies are advised. Children £3.50, adults free. Please note: this event is not suitable for pushchairs. Booking essential 01746 781192.
Easter Egg Geocache Hunt
– Friday 1 April & Friday 8 April 2016, 10am-12pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm
Working in teams, use the handheld GPS unit to navigate around the park.
There are limited GPS units, so children will be sharing with other families. Children £3.50, adults free. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Booking essential as places are limited 01746 781192.
Storytime at Severn Valley – Twig Man Tales (not suitable for pushchairs, includes a walk of 1 mile on woodland paths)
– Wednesday 6 April 2016, 10am-12pm and 1.30pm-3.30pm
On a walk through the woods and river meadows of the park, join a ranger and enjoy the adventures of Twig man. Children £3.50, adults free. Booking essential as places are limited 01746 781192.
Extra opening hours for Teashop and Visitor Centre will be available. The visitor centre and teashop will be open every day of the holidays between 11am and 5pm. Car parking is available at Alveley and Highley – £2 for all day.
Easter family activities at Coalport China Museum
25th March – 10th April
Looking after the pennies can be fun with your own decorated money box. Throughout the Easter school holidays from Friday 25th March until Sunday 10th April, Coalport China Museum, near Ironbridge is running hands-on activities where you can paint your own design on a ceramic money box to take home.
Choose from a variety of shapes and sizes, then decorate your money box with your own colour scheme or design, perhaps a yellow chick, lamb, baby bunny or brightly coloured eggs to remind you it was Easter when you made it. You can also paint a delicate china flower or fridge magnet and join in paper based activities.
The activities at Coalport China Museum will be available from 11am until 4pm; ceramic activities carry a fee of £1 for flower or fridge magnet and £4 each for money boxes plus admission.
Open 10am to 5pm Coalport is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £25 per adult, £20 for seniors, £15 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge.
Fun for your little Vikings at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery this Easter
Children visiting the ‘Valhalla – Life and Death in Viking Britain’ exhibition at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery this Easter can get involved with a series of ‘hands on’ exhibits and activities exploring the gods, myths and sagas that make this such a colourful period of history.
The exhibition takes visitors through the epic story of the Vikings, with exciting new finds, artefacts and the latest research into the lives of those who arrived in Britain from Scandinavia in the 8th century.
Little Vikings will be able to meet King Canute with children’s author and illustrator Tim Claydon-Butler on 30 March, get a taste of Viking life with re-enactment group the Thegns of Mercia on 2 April, and hear stories and songs in a Viking themed story corner with Sal Tonge on 7 April.
There will also be a range of Viking and Easter-themed drop-in activities over the Easter holidays.
And on 29 March children can join best-selling author and illustrator Matt Sewell as he celebrates the return of spring with his bird themed ‘Spotting and Jotting’ class for all ages.
Canute the Viking: Wednesday 30 March
Children’s author and illustrator of ‘Canute the Viking’, Tim Claydon-Butler, will lead a story session and illustration workshop along with an exclusive reading of his new book on Wednesday 30 March.
‘Canute the Viking’ is the beautifully illustrated story of Canute’s rise to power and his successful campaign to become King of England. Children will create their own Viking picture and will receive a copy of the book, which features maps, time-lines, character profiles and full-colour illustrations throughout. Cost: £5 per child (including book) Times: 11am and 2pm (one and a half hours)
Viking Saturday: Saturday 2 April
Join the fierce Viking warriors from re-enactment group the Thegns of Mercia. Through hands-on interactive sessions families will get a taste of what life as a Viking was like. Take a look at reconstructed weapons, learn how to make your own Viking shield, meet a Saxon monk and hear about the terror of the Viking raids. Have a go at old English writing and Viking tablet weaving and hear Viking music whilst listening to ancient stories and discovering the Viking’s mysterious ancestors. Cost: included within admission (see below) Time: 10am – 4:30pm.
Row, Row, Row your Long Boat: Thursday 7 April
A busy session of playful songs and stories told by one of Shropshire’s favourite storytellers, Sal Tonge. Come and find out about Loki the Trickster, beat a rhythm on Thor’s Hammer and ‘heave ho’ together in a Viking long boat whilst exploring what lurks in the ocean. This is a lively session for 3 to 5 year-olds that plays with words. Cost: included within admission (see below) Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Drop-in activities
Families can also enjoy the Valhalla exhibition museum trail and drop-in Viking and Easter crafts. Activities include: a Viking storytelling tent complete with puppets and dressing up, rune stamping, a ‘create your own Viking God’ activity, burial stone colouring in and Easter trail!
Spotting and Jotting with Matt Sewell: Tuesday 29 March
Matt Sewell, author of ‘Our Garden Birds’ and ‘Owls’, will be demonstrating how to create and draw your own beautiful bird book. The session is open to all ages and all children must be accompanied. No artistic skills are required, but everyone must draw and Matt will be inspiring them to do so! Cost: £3.50 per child £5.00 per adult Time: 10.30am – 12noon.
For information and to book contact museumeducation@shropshire.gov.uk or ring 01743 258888 or 01743 258884.
‘Valhalla – Life and Death in Viking Britain’ runs until 5 June 2016. Admission to the whole Museum & Art Gallery including Valhalla costs: £4.00 per adult (£4.50 from 1 April), £3.50 for pensioners (£4 from 1 April), £3.60 per student, £2.00 per child and £10 per family.
Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt at Dudmaston
Eastertime at Dudmaston, a local National Trust Property, is set to be fun filled and over flowing with Cadbury chocolate. With tasty prizes for trails and Easter treats in the tearooms.
On Easter Sunday and Monday, go on a trail around the orchard to solve Bunny’s riddles before claiming your Cadbury chocolate prize. On Monday (4 April) and Wednesdays (30 March & 6 April), help Bunny to put his egg back together by hunting for the broken pieces. Yes you guessed it, you’ll be rewarded in chocolate. Join us afterwards in the activities tent, where we’ll be making Easter bunnies and chicks. Normal admission charge applies. Egg hunts cost £2.50 per child plus small charge for crafts.
Events and Marketing Officer, Alexandra Blakeman said: “The Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt is always so popular at Dudmaston. It’s a pleasure to see everyone taking part in the garden trails because it’s such a great way to kick off spring. Fingers crossed for great weather and for self-discipline from staff and volunteers who, I’m told, are ‘babysitting’ the chocolate prizes.”
As well as the Easter festivities, there are plenty of other things to see and do at Dudmaston this spring, including the opening of a brand new Gallery 2 which tells the stories of past owners of Dudmaston through objects they once owned. If you’re looking to leave your own mark for the future, help the Rangers to ‘plant the dam’ with woodland flower bulbs (Tues 29, Thu 31 March, Tue 5 & Thu 7 April, 2.00-4.00pm). Bulbs and gardening equipment will be supplied.