Fossils Talk and Shadow Puppet Making Workshop

Phil Hadland is taking over Hastings Museum & Art Gallery on Sunday 15 November for a fossils talk and shadow puppet workshop. He's a palaeontologist, and he'll be running the session alongside Theatre Rotto and the Geologists' Association.

The first half is the talk, where Hadland draws on the museum's own fossil collection. There's a bit of local pride to lean on here: the geology of the area is what made Hastings famous in the first place. The Mantells of Lewes discovered the first fossils that would be named Iguanodon in Sussex — only the second dinosaur ever to be formally identified — and they worked alongside Charles Lyell, who's widely considered the father of geology. So the talk isn't just about fossils in general, but about the ones found right here in the county.

After that, the session turns into a workshop. You'll design and make your own creatures from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, set in their own landscapes, and the whole thing closes with showings that bring the characters to life. It's a good way to spend a Sunday morning if you've got kids in tow or if you're just into the prehistoric side of things.

It runs from 11:30 to 14:30, so you're looking at about three hours in total. It's at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery in the town centre, on Sunday 15 November.