Radstock Museum’s volunteers would like to warmly thank our local community for coming out in force to support the museum during half term.

The museum was open all day, every day especially for the children’s holiday, with 157 children and 123 adults attending the Cosmic Crafts event on Thursday morning, complete with life-size Dalek.

Raffle tickets were drawn for six lucky children to take turns to sit inside the working Dalek, drive it around and speak into the voice changer to say “Exterminate!”

The museum would like to thank Jeff Evans, from Writhlington, who built the Dalek, for bringing and running it free of charge. We also had an unprecedented turnout for the Planet Pursuit children’s trail, which saw prizes run out around four times during the week, and almost a year’s worth of prizes given out to children in just one week!

The week was topped off by excellent attendances at both the Bygone Days Talk on the Somersetshire Coal Canal and the Science in Radstock talk on Dendrochronology (science of tree rings), proceeds of which go to the museum.

The museum is always working hard to remain open and does not receive public funding, but survives on visitor admissions, donations and small occasional grants to keep going. So, the support of local residents and visitors from further afield is greatly appreciated.

The events and exhibitions continue, showing a selection of mini exhibitions on Camerton Colliery, The Norton Hill Pit Disaster, The Thatcher Family and much more.

Talks are taking place every month until April for Bygone Days and Science in Radstock. At Easter, we will have another children’s trail and craft event.

The Tale of Two Towers, an illustrated talk by Dennis Chedgy, is the next Bygone Days talk organised by volunteers from Radstock Museum at the Somer Centre on Tuesday, 3rd March at 7.30 p.m. Lucy Tudor