Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Welcome aboard Sudeley’s Animal Ark!
Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe has launched a state-of-the-art attraction which aims to take visitors on an “animal odyssey” through habitats all over the world. The Animal Ark invites families to don augmented reality headsets to discover wildlife from the prehistoric era onwards, before removing the headsets and enjoying “iconic” sculptures of today’s creatures displayed in a recreation of their natural environment, from the tropics to the North Pole.
“Our new idea is entertainment and education with a message, with animals telling us their stories,” Lady Ashcombe, owner of the 15th century stately home, tells Primary Times. “It’s aimed at families and teachers and explains that we should look after nature and the environment as best we can.”
The trail was designed in consultation with Mary Powys of the conservation charity Elephant Family and also features over 50 sculptures of gorillas, elephants and other endangered species, plus a Birdsong Garden with a musical composition of British birds by the English acoustic ecologist Cosmo Sheldrake.
Lady Ashcombe describes the virtual reality experience as thrilling. “I’ve not done anything like that before,” she says. “You are part of all sorts of things: fish come up to your nose and a giraffe steps over you.”
The new attraction welcomes school visits, and Sudeley offers a box of teaching materials about the jungle for use in the classroom.
sudeleycastle.co.uk/
