Thursday 18 October 2012

Half-term & Halloween activities at Butterfly World

Creepy crawlies, beautiful butterflies and phenomenal flowers provide the inspiration for a range of artistic and fun educational workshops for children at Butterfly World throughout the half-term holidays from Sat 27th October until Sat 3rd November, culminating in a fireworks extravaganza on 4th November. 

Young visitors will be able to step into costume and join the ‘Ugly Bug Ball” with Herts Inclusive Theatre drama sessions, get crafty with sand art, pumpkin carving and making birdfeeders with Herts University Art team, and make masks and learn about nature with Butterfly World’s education team.

They can also meet our ‘giant’ creepy crawlies and interact with them in our insect handling sessions to be held every day. Children can imagine life as a tinyinsect in the giant ‘Through the Flower Pot Garden’ and Insect Study Centre, home to hissing cockroaches, stick insects, ant colonies and African snails.  There will also be some special sessions on Monday 29th October all about bees, so that visitors can learn all they can about this incredible species and visit our on-site hives.

There are face-painting sessions every day from 12 to 3pm run by Wendy, whopaints beautiful butterfly and fun creepy crawly creations and a special session on Saturday 3rd November involves having your caricature painted.  The season closes with a Fireworks Extravaganza on Sunday 4th November, from 5 to 7pm.  Please buy tickets in advance for this popular event in order to avoid disappointment, from www.allaboutstalbans.co.uk or 01727 869203.

Butterfly World is open until 4th November, with a special offer of £5 per person in October (Under 3s and Blue Peter badge holders go free).  Opening hours are from 10am-5pm, seven days a week with last entry at 4pm each day. It is served by local buses and St. Albans train station and is situated just off the M1, junction 6a and M25, junction 21a. 

Halloween and Half-term Holiday Activities

Insect handling sessions 11.00. 1.30pm and 3pm every day (free)
Facepainting every day from 12 to 3pm (£4)

Saturday 27th October11-12.30 and 1-3.00pm Pumpkin carving (£3)

Monday 29th October11.00, 12pm, 2pm and 3pm Bee Zone (half hour sessions – lots of fun and education about bees (£3)

Tuesday 30th October 10.30am-3pm Kids Bee Happy, Sand art sessions (£4)

Wednesday 31st October11-12.30 and 1-3pm Big Draw art sessions (£2)

Thursday 1st November10am-12.30pm Herts Inclusive Theatre ‘Ugly Bug Ball” £10 (To book call Caroline England at HIT - 07857986364, 01923 499310 e-mail: hertsinclusivetheatre@live.co.uk), 1-3pm Mask-making

Friday 2nd November11.30 Storytelling (free), 1-3pm Make a birdfeeder session (£2.50) with Herts University Arts team

Saturday 3rd November Have your caricature painted (£5)

Sunday 4th November5-7pm Butterfly World Fireworks Extravaganza (£5); food and drink stalls, BBQ, children’s fairground, facepainting (£4), free parking.  For tickets: www.allaboutstalbans.co.uk; or call 01727 869203

2012 marks Butterfly World’s fourth phase of development. The project, which is backed by Sir David Attenborough and Professor David Bellamy, is hoping to secure the final tranche of funding to enable it to open its doors as the biggest butterfly experience, conservation and education centre in the world complete with living rainforest, 10,000 tropical butterflies, Mayan ruins, caves, streams and rope walkways, all housed in a massive 100metre diameter biome.  There are currently 27 acres of beautiful interactive gardens and a huge natural play area, a tropical butterfly house with over 600 spectacular butterflies, a leafcutter ant exhibition, insect study centre with butterfly emerging cabinets and a whole host of unusual creepy crawlies.  The Nectar House CafĂ© provides a selection of hot and cold drinks and meals and the plant and gift shops offer a huge variety of ideas and presents to take home.

Major Roman coin hoard found near St Albans

Source - News release from St Albans City & District Council - 16 October 2012

A nationally significant find of 159 Late Roman gold coins has been found by a metal detectorist on private land in the north of the district of St Albans in Hertfordshire. The find is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards ever discovered in the UK.

A team from St Albans City & District Council’s Museums’ Service investigated the site at the beginning of October and confirmed the find. The coins are in very good condition and were scattered across a fairly wide area.  Evidence suggests that the hoard was disturbed in the last couple of hundred years due to quarrying activity or plough action.

The coins date to the very end of Roman rule in Britain, and there are practically no other comparable gold hoards of this period.  After AD 408 no further coin supplies reached Britain.

The coins – called solidus (plural – solidi) date to the closing years of the fourth century.  They were mostly struck in the Italian cities of Milan and Ravenna and issued under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian, Theodosius, Arcadius and Honorius.  

David Thorold, Prehistory to Medieval Curator at Verulamium Museum in St Albans said:  “During the period of the Roman occupation of Britain, coins were usually buried for two reasons.  They were buried as a religious sacrifice to the Gods, or as a secure store of wealth, with the aim of later recovery. Threat of war or raids might lead to burial in the latter case, as may the prospect of a long journey, or any other risky activity.

“Gold solidi were extremely valuable coins and were not traded or exchanged on a regular basis.  They would have been used for large transactions such as buying land or goods by the shipload. 

“The gold coins in the economy guaranteed the value of all the silver and especially the bronze coins in circulation.  If you saved enough bronze, you could exchange it for a silver coin.  If you saved enough silver, you could exchange it for a gold coin.  However, most people would not have had regular access to them.  Typically, the wealthy Roman elite, merchants or soldiers receiving bulk pay were the recipients.”         

Such finds come under the Treasure Act 1996.  The next stage is for the British Museum’s panel of independent experts to examine the coins and make their report to the Coroner who will determine whether they are to be considered as ‘treasure’ under the Act. The value of the gold coins is not yet known.

Cllr Mike Wakely, Portfolio Holder for Sports, Leisure and Heritage at St Albans City & District Council said:  “This is an exciting find of national significance, and one that our museums’ team is very excited about.  We hope to have an opportunity to display these coins at Verulamium Museum in St Albans over the coming months, once the formalities have been dealt with.”

Verulamium Museum in St Albans will be presenting a talk on the Roman gold coins hoard on Thursday 1 November at 7pm.  Tickets cost £7 and are available from the museum on 01727 751810, email museums@stalbans.gov.uk.