Science on Your Doorstep: Summer Highlights

This summer was an incredibly busy, and inspiring, one for our project, Science on Your Doorstep. As part of our year-round mission to bring science into communities across Norwich, we joined festivals, family events and local organisations to deliver hands-on activities that celebrate all things STEAM!

From Mile Cross to Earlham, Mousehold to Marlpit, we spent the summer popping up in parks, gardens, community centres and churches, exploring local plant life, making cyanotypes, journeying through space and uncovering the fascinating science all around us.

Here’s a look back at what Science on Your Doorstep got up to this summer, shared by our Project Coordinator Alina Sandu.

In June, we attended the Mile Cross Festival in Sloughbottom Park. Organised by local residents, the festival shows off the best of Mile Cross, featuring local community groups, artists, bakers and entertainers. We were joined by Dodo and Dinosaur with their colourful make-your-own dinosaurs and Amanda Colman from 185 Drayton Road who taught people how to make cyanotypes using leaves from the park and sunlight.

In July, we joined The Common Lot at one of their performances of Mousehold to the Marsh. This community theatre project celebrated and encouraged connection with the city’s green spaces with free family-friendly shows in parks and gardens throughout North Norwich and we joined them at the Marlpit Community Garden. While people were waiting for the show, we got children to spot and draw different types of plants around them.

Later that month, we attended the launch of the Earlham Community Shop – a wonderful initiative that provides affordable food and household essentials to local families. The launch was an occasion to celebrate the local community, find out what’s happening in the area, and make meaningful connections. We took our microscopes along and invited children to investigate bugs, leaves and anything else they wanted to discover magnified. 

“A heartfelt thank you for being part of our official opening event and for bringing such energy, creativity, and community spirit to the day! Your stall added so much colour and interest to the event, everyone really loved the butterflies and microscopes! You helped us create a space that felt alive, inclusive, and full of opportunity. 

It was wonderful to see guests exploring your stall, learning about your work, and making meaningful connections. We’ve had so much positive feedback about the variety and quality of the day. We are so happy we could create a space for community connection. Thank you for giving your time and enthusiasm so generously. Your presence helped us show what’s possible when our community comes together.” 

- Connie Flynn, Earlham Community Shop Manager

We love taking the Wonderdome Inflatable Planetarium into community spaces so this summer we asked Dr Dave Willis to join us at St Elizabeth’s Crossroads Church. The church were preparing an astronomy summer club so we worked with Dr Willis to prepare a show on exactly the topics they would be covering: our solar system, the history of astronauts, and how to deal with space junk!

13 August was the biggest day of the holidays, when our annual free summer event, Bugs and Beasts, returned. This time, we held it in Henderson Community Park and around 500 people came out to enjoy our mix of science, performances, face paint, and packed lunches. You can read about it in more detail here.

We also worked with KIDS, a charity for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, to organise a special summer holiday activity for their families. We met at the Marlpit Community Centre and worked with Luisa Smith from Norwich Making Space to host a workshop on building balance sculptures, learning about centre of mass and the different densities of different items. 

To finish off the summer holiday, we joined Future Projects for their Community Wellness Day at the Baseline Centre. This free event for the local community offered a wide range of activities and support such as free dental check-ups and hair cuts for children, free school uniforms, adult learning opportunities and foodbank support. We were joined by Dr Mandy Hartley on the day who hosted an activity inspired by the Norwich Science Festival Harvest Heroes workshop. Children investigated soil samples and analysed DNA to solve the muddy mystery of Farmer Patrick’s potato crops.

SOYD Event Impact:

• Almost 1000 people interacted with us at our summer events 

• 81% of visitors came from our project target postcodes

• 35% of visitors surveyed said they would not have travelled to the city centre for a similar event and a further 11% would have travelled only under very specific conditions 

• 94% said their families were more interested in science after participating in our activities