Families buzzing about free events inspired by bee exhibition

Plymouth University will be a hive of activity on Saturday 17 May when it hosts two fun family-friendly events inspired by an exhibition about bees.

‘Bee Happy’ will be led by the Wild About Plymouth team – a partnership between the City Museum and Art Gallery and Plymouth University, which organises a natural history or science-based event each month throughout the year.

The event will include a guided tour of the ‘Apiculture: Bees and the Art of Pollination’ exhibition in the Peninsula Arts Gallery. The exhibition uses the work of 10 different contemporary artists to examine our relationship with and reliance on bees over the course of time.

Everyone will get the chance to draw and sketch their favourites from the exhibition before heading over to one of the university’s labs to look more closely at bees under microscopes and discover even more.

The event will take place in the Roland Levinsky Building from 11am to 1pm and entry is free of charge, with no need to book in advance. Meet members of the Wild About Plymouth team in the foyer just before 11am.

Following the Bee Happy event, a ‘Bugs Family Day’ is also taking place in the Roland Levinsky Building until 5pm. This event is also free of charge with no need to book. You can call in for as little or as long as you like and discover even more about all manner of creepy crawlies!

Representatives from the Museum and Art Gallery, The Devonshire Association, BugLife, Dartmoor Zoo, Paignton Zoo, Devon Wildlife Trust and Plymouth University’s biology department will be on hand with a range of handling and interactive activities.

The event will also include Michelin star chef Peter Gorton’s Ento Café and a series of bug-related short films. A special screening of Bee Movie (£2.50 for adults; under 12s go free) will also be on offer in what promises to be a fun day out for all the family.

For full details about the Bee Happy event visit the what’s on pages at www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk.

More information about the ‘Bugs Family Day’ can be found on the what’s on pages at www.peninsula-arts.co.uk