Climate catastrophe - where are we heading?
2026-07-04 11:30 - 12:30 (Europe/London) | Storyhouse Garret Theatre, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Does it feel like you are seeing more extreme weather? The science suggests we might be heading for a 3 degree world, but action globally doesn’t suggest people are concerned.
So what is the truth? Join me as I explore the different pathways we could follow over this century depending on whether we act now or delay action to mitigate climate change.

Chaos of Roman Britain with Greg Jenner
2026-07-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
Come and join us for a family friendly event with Greg Jenner exploring how, why, and when the Romans first invaded. Greg is a public historian, author, and broadcaster best known as the historical consultant of the award-winning TV series Horrible Histories. Blending humour with fascinating facts, he brings the past to life for audiences of all ages. Beyond television, Greg hosts the popular podcast You’re Dead To Me and writes bestselling books including Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy that make history as entertaining as it is educational.

The Future of Museums
2026-07-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Grosvenor Museum, Chester, 27 Grosvenor Street, Chester, CH1 2DD, United Kingdom
Join curators at the Grosvenor Museum for a talk exploring the future of our museums. How might they look 50, 100 years from now? What might we collect, and which stories might we tell? How might the role of museums need to evolve as society and our audiences change?
Learn about the challenges that our museums face in the present, and be part of the conversations that shape our future.

Improving biodiversity in your space - A Network for Nature with Chester Zoo
2026-07-04 12:30 - 13:30 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Join Chester Zoo to discover how communities across Cheshire West are connecting habitats, monitoring wildlife, and transforming local spaces through the Networks for Nature initiative. This session reveals inspiring progress, showcases easy tools anyone can use, and invites attendees to see how small collective actions can support ecosystems and boost biodiversity.
https://www.chesterzoo.org/conservation-science-education/global-conservation-programmes/conservation-campaigns/networks-for-nature

Afternoon tea: art, health, science and environment
2026-07-04 12:30 - 14:00 | Storyhouse Garret Bar, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
In this packed workshop, get your hands on wonderfully decorated Victorian and modern teacups and saucers, design and make your own, taste hot world teas while learning about the health benefits of tea drinking, learn about the environmental footprint of tea today – cultivation and processing to packaging and transport, looking at the sustainability of loose-leaf tea versus tea bags. Step into and influence the global historic and contemporary world of tea.

Tapping into calm with EFT: A practical technique for daily life
2026-07-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Discover ‘Tapping’ (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a gentle and effective way to quieten a busy mind and relax your body in minutes.
This friendly, informal and practical workshop teaches you how to tap on specific points to release tension and feel more grounded.
No special equipment or experience is needed – just a curious mind.
You’ll leave with a practical “calm kit” you can use anywhere, helping you handle life’s ups and downs with more ease, confidence, and peace of mind.
www.tapintotransformation.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/tap_into_transformation

Through the looking glass: Postcards to my younger and older self- exploring the psychology of ageing
2026-07-04 13:30 - 14:30 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
Ever wondered what you would have said to yourself when you were younger, or what you would tell your older self? Opening with an exhibition of postcards written by students at the University of Chester to their older self and members of Chester U3A to their younger self, we will explore messages and their meanings, applying psychological principles to discuss aging and its representation. Come along to find out what the key messages in the postcards are and what psychology has to say about them.

Mya-Rose Craig: In Conversation
2026-07-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr Mya-Rose Craig, a remarkable environmentalist whose journey began as a young birdwatcher and led to the founding of Black2Nature – a movement championing ethnic diversity in nature conservation and the environment. Mya-Rose will share how focus, motivation, and commitment can turn passion into meaningful action. Don’t miss this chance for an optimistic look at how we can better engage young people, particularly, in care for nature.
Reflecting the University of Chester’s commitment to dialogue and partnership with young people to address social and environmental issues, Mya-Rose will be in conversation with Dr Rebecca Collins. Rebecca is the Director of the University’s Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute (SERKEI), which brings together over 150 researchers with expertise relevant to sustainability and the future of our environments. She also leads the university’s work to embed learning for sustainability across undergraduate curricula. She is particularly passionate about how we can best engage young people in how to care for nature, in the face of so much anxiety about the future.

Rome's Cutting Edge: The Auxiliaries
2026-07-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Storyhouse Garret Theatre, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Discover Rome’s cutting edge: The Auxiliary Soldiers. Recruited from across the empire, these specialist troops helped the Roman army conquer new lands and face unfamiliar enemies. Often dismissed as second-class legionaries, they were in fact essential to Rome’s success. Join us as we uncover who they were, what they did, and why their story matters.

The Ship that Chester Built: Exploring Chester’s links with slavery
2026-07-04 14:00 - 15:30 | Chester Cathedral, St Werburgh Street, Chester, CH1 2DY, United Kingdom
In 1750, the St George was built in Chester’s shipyard. In three separate voyages, she carried a total of 662 enslaved people from Bonny on the coast of West Africa to plantations in the Caribbean. Join the project team for an interactive walking tour of some of the key sites in Chester connected with the history of transatlantic slavery. We’ll explore vanished shipyards, sugar refineries, shops and workshops. And we’ll see where some of the people who invested in such slave voyages lived.
This walk starts at 30 St Werburgh Street (part of the Cathedral complex) and ends in the Cathedral itself. Please access 30 St Werburgh Street using the entrance on Werburgh Street, which was previously the customer entrance to Barclays Bank.
You will be visiting a historic site/area – please mind your step. The walk will run come rain or shine, do come prepared.

Sutures- A film made to highlight the perils of working in the NHS
2026-07-04 14:30 - 15:30 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Sutures is a short film made in the skills unit at the University of Chester that has won awards at several film festivals both locally and internationally. It is used as an educational tool for student nurses to educate, enlighten and entertain. The film highlights the issues facing a group of nurses and patients in the modern NHS.

Nature at Night: Interactive Exhibition
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
Join the Nature at Night project team to find out how bat-walks, zine-making and digital citizen science are being used to understand young people’s feelings about exploring nature at night. Contribute to our research by sharing some reflections of your own.

Mini Scientist
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
A hands-on experience where our young scientists (and their parents!) can explore the biomolecular world by extracting DNA from delicious fruits using household items. Laboratory coats will be provided to set the scene for what will be an exciting experiment with University of Chester scientists on-hand to answer any questions. DNA is ubiquitous to all lifeforms and is known as ‘the molecule of life’, which we shall explore in this interactive session.

Practical Basic Life Support Skills for Everyone
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
A short session to:-
. recognise when someone needs medical help
. learn the best way to get help quickly
. learn how to perform BASIC life support until help arrives
Please note that this is a drop-in session; no need to book.

Wildlife Quest with Chester Zoo
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
Drop in to play a game with Chester Zoo’s Youth Board and Youth Network – discover actions that you can take to help wildlife and take on a wildlife challenge!

Owl pellet dissection
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
Owls are beautiful, deadly and difficult to study. One non-disruptive way to learn about their habits and diets is to examine owl pellets- the leftovers of their meals. Join us to try your hand at dissecting owl pellets and exploring what our hooting friends get up to when they are heard, but not seen.

Pop-Up Repair Café: Repair, Reuse and Reconnect
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along (and bring your household electrical, joinery and sewing repair jobs with you)!
Drop in to a pop-up Repair Café and see community repair in action. Local volunteers will help repair everyday household items while sharing simple skills you can use at home. Alongside the practical fixing, we’ll explore how repair café reduce waste, cut carbon emissions and build stronger communities. Come along to watch, learn, ask questions and discover how ‘repair over disposal’ can support a greener, fairer future for all communities.

Claw-some creation – make your own badger paw print!
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
Join Reaseheath College to learn more about badgers! Children will have the opportunity to view night time camera footage of this elusive mammal, and make their own plaster casts of paw prints.

The Night-Time Safari
2026-07-04 14:30 - 17:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This event is part of our Wild Futures All-Ages Activity Drop-In session – there is no need to book in advance, just come along!
Come on a night safari via remote waterhole cameras situated throughout sub-Saharan Africa – learn observational and recording techniques for quantifying animal behaviour and resource use (or just enjoying wildlife) from the comfort of your own home…. or Chester Town Hall! We will investigate activity at different waterholes so see who drinks when and where, whom avoids whom and who might lie in wait.

Picturing the Animal-Human Bond
2026-07-04 15:00 - 16:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
This interactive workshop will introduce some of the research surrounding the bond that humans have with animals as well as the role of drawing in communication, expression and artistic production. We invite everyone to share their experiences with animals they are close to, whether this is pets or other animals. Supplementing descriptions and conversations with words, we encourage participants to have a go at depicting these important relationships in pictures through a ‘draw and tell’ approach

From publications to protest: should scientists be climate activists?
2026-07-04 15:30 - 16:30 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
In 2022, nine British researchers fly-post a government building with scientific papers presenting stark evidence of human-induced climate change. They are arrested and charged with criminal damage. By turns pacy and pensive, short documentary ‘Plan Z’ explores their motivations for engaging in civil disobedience, and asks: what is the professional responsibility of scientists towards the public in the 21st century? Stay for the post-screening Q&A with local experts to form your own conclusions.
The panel for the event will be:

Dr Abi Perrin – Dr Abi Perrin is a research scientist turned climate and nature communicator and activist. After more than a decade studying microbial life, Abi now aims to bring science out of the lab and into the spaces it most urgently needs to be understood and acted upon. Her current focus is on creating empowering science-based trainings and workshops for a range of audiences, alongside establishing community renewable energy projects and networks for change in her home city of York.
Dr Jen Murphy – Jen is an educator and lover of the outdoors. A member of Scientists on Survival, she currently works as a secondary school science teacher bringing sustainability and climate education into all areas of her practice.

plan-z-film.co.uk

Dame Jenny Harries: In Conversation
2026-07-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Join Dame Jenny Harries for an in-conversation event exploring a life in public service. From frontline medicine to national leadership, Jenny will reflect on pivotal moments and challenges in her career, offering candid insights into resilience, decision-making, and purpose across an extraordinary career dedicated to public health and leadership.

Jenny will be in conversation with Dr Kirstie Simpson, acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise at the University of Chester. A champion of women’s leadership, Kirstie is committed to inspiring inclusive leadership at all levels of the organisations with which she works, and was selected as one of the North West Business Leadership Team’s ‘Rising Stars’ – a network of female business leaders.

The Historic Shot Tower: A symbol of creative ideas in the industry of Chester.
2026-07-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Little is known of Chester’s industries, yet Chester was the base for companies with an international reach. Our iconic shot tower is one of the earliest and surviving part of the leadworks, the city’s largest lead manufactory. It is appropriate therefore that the presentation should begin with its huge presence. Nearby industries will also be looked at in addition to other significant ones in the City.

You can write a song! 10 ways to get started.
2026-07-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Storyhouse Garret Theatre, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
“I wish I could write a song, but I don’t know where to start…”
This is a super practical workshop to remove the fear of the blank page and give you tools to start writing your own songs.
We’ll look specifically at lyric-writing. No instrument needed!
Adam Kirkup is a Chester-based songwriter, musician and coach. He’s performed with New York alt-folk luminary Kimya Dawson, toured with a WWE wrestling champion and attended the respected Chris Difford songwriting retreat.
adamkirkup.com
instagram.com/adamkirkup

Building Tomorrow's Workforce: Skills, Apprenticeships & Regional Priorities
2026-07-04 16:30 - 17:30 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
A panel of apprentices, employers, Chamber of Commerce, LSIP & DWP discussing what are the skills needed now and for the next 3 – 5 years in the region, highlighting apprenticeships benefits for the apprentice & employers.
The panel will discuss topics such as:
• What are the skills that you are looking for when hiring an employee?
• What government projects are helping the youth and those unemployed get the skills needed for the job vacancies advertised?
• What is available for people who wish to upskill?
• Why did you choose an apprenticeship route, & what do you plan to do next in your career?
To find out more about University of Chester degree apprenticeships: https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/degree-apprenticeships/
To find out more about the Chamber of Commerce: West Cheshire & North Wales: https://wcnwchamber.org.uk/

Retracing Footsteps: The Past, Present and Future of Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon
2026-07-05 10:00 - 16:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon is Wales’s most iconic mountain, hosting 650,000 visitors each year. This exhibition takes us on a journey that considers the past, present, and sustainable future of the mountain. Contemporary photographs are juxtaposed with extracts from the 19th-century Snowdon summit hotels’ visitor books. The exhibition is part of an ongoing, interdisciplinary project at the University of Chester, in collaboration with Bangor University and Eryri National Park Authority.

The Cheshire Longbowmen: England's Elite Archers
2026-07-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 2HQ
Join us to explore why the Cheshire longbowmen were regarded as some of the finest archers in history. Discover what made the longbow such a powerful weapon, how their skill shaped events like the rebellion of Hotspur, and why this formidable force is no longer part of Chester’s story. Uncover the rise, impact and legacy of these remarkable medieval warriors.

Leprosy and Smallpox: how our Chester ancestors experienced the devastation of these ancient diseases
2026-07-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Storyhouse Garret Theatre, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR
Leprosy and smallpox are two of the world’s oldest and most stigmatising illnesses. Both conditions bring shame from the fear of contagious disease and disfigured bodies and Chester’s history offers an authentic approach to their identification and treatment. From the founding of St Giles’s Leprosy Hospital in the early twelfth century, to the formation of the Smallpox Society of Chester in 1778, find out how the city’s inhabitants managed the challenges of these devastating diseases.

Mindfulness and self-compassion in an uncertain world: A 60-minute experiential session for the Festival of Ideas
2026-07-05 11:00 - 12:00 | Chester Picturehouse, Unit 10 Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR, United Kingdom
Join this session for a gentle, practical introduction to mindfulness and self-compassion in uncertain times. Through simple guided exercises, reflection and discussion, you’ll explore how to steady your mind and respond to challenges with greater kindness. No experience needed, just curiosity and an openness to pause, breathe and reconnect.

Sustainability Walk - Biodiversity
2026-07-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Outside Chester Town Hall, 33 Northgate Street Chester, Chester, CH1 2HQ, United Kingdom
This led walk, which is also “wheels accessible”, is one of four themed routes staged as part of the 2026 “Festival of ideas” that uses examples from the existing cityscape to demonstrate various aspects of the overall theme of Sustainability.
This walk focuses on the Sustainability aspect of ‘Biodiversity’ visiting various sites in and around Chester City Centre to illustrate live examples of what are demonstrations of active work supporting enhancement of biodiversity.
