As part of a national festival of Arts and Science, Nottingham Castle Museum is to host a weekend of activities for children and families on Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 October, so that ‘everyone can be an artist; everyone can be a scientist.’
Inspired by the summer exhibition of drawings by Leonardo de Vinci, scientists from the Pathology Department of the University of Nottingham and QMC, working with visual artist, Chrys Allen and performers from Nottingham’s Nonsuch Theatre Company, will encourage families to explore the science of forensic analysis, how the body’s cells reproduce (and sometimes go wrong), and digital scanning technology in the diagnosis of disease. The artists will help participants interpret their scientific observations in drama and drawings.
Fun Palaces weekend is an annual celebration of workshops and events first started by theatre director Joan Littlewood over 50 years ago at the Theatre Royal Stratford in the East End of London, where she brought artists and scientists together to show how everyone can get involved in different aspects of popular culture. Now a national celebration, Fun Palaces have been revived in recognition of the part that art and science can play in our everyday lives.
October also sees the national celebration of drawing and illustration, The Big Draw, which the Castle Museum is marking with special events around the final two weeks of the Leonardo Exhibition.
The activities at the Castle Museum on 1 and 2 October have been funded by the Pathological Society as part of their drive to encourage scientists to reach out to members of the public, and organized by the Nottingham-based company Ignite! who work to get more creative programmes into schools and education.
Families can simply drop into the activities at the Castle Museum from 11:00 to 3:00 on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October. The workshops are free, though entry to the Castle grounds is charged at weekends.
Work from the Fun Palaces events in Nottingham will also be exhibited in various locations in February 2017 as part of the Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity.
Information on all the events at the Castle Museum for Fun Palaces and The Big Draw can be found here.
ParalympicsGB will return from Rio with 64 gold medals – the most gold medals and indeed most medals of any British Paralympic team since Seoul 1988 – and won 12% of all gold medals awarded at the Games, which is the best performance since Tel Aviv in 1968.
A series of exceptional performances ensured ParalympicsGB comfortably passed the 121 medal target set by UK Sport, eventually finishing with 64 golds, 39 silvers and 44 bronzes, a total of 147 medals – a result which sees the team finish second in the table behind China. In doing so, the team has now won gold medals in 11 sports – this matches China in 2008 as the highest number in Paralympic history. Additionally, ParalympicsGB secured medals in 15 sports – a feat which equals the record previously held by the USA from Athens 2004 as the greatest ever in one Games. Across ParalympicsGB, the team have broken 49 Paralympic and 27 World Records and both the oldest (Anne Dunham) and youngest (Abby Kane) athletes won medals.
Amongst the outstanding performances from British athletes were: David Smith, who moved himself level with Nigel Murray as Britain’s most successful Boccia player with gold in the mixed individual BC1 class; Libby Clegg and guide Chris Clarke who completed the sprint double over the T11 100m and 200m; Hannah Cockroft successfully defended her 100m T34 title as well as adding 400m and 800m gold to move onto five Paralympic titles; Jonnie Peacock defended his T44 100m title while Nottingham’s Richard Whitehead did likewise in the T42 200m – with teammate David Henson taking bronze – and also taking silver in the T42 100m. Meanwhile in the pool, there were five medals won by 34-year-old swimmer Stephanie Millward while ParalympicsGB swimmers clinched three golds medals in just 38 minutes on day five, including a Paralympic title for Sascha Kindred in his last race of a Paralympic career spanning back to Atlanta 1996. Ellie Simmonds and Susie Rodgers were the other two winners.
The team will depart Rio on Monday 19 September and land back in the UK on Tuesday 20 September. A parade to celebrate the success of the ParalympicsGB and Team GB was announced during the Olympic Games.
The waiting is over for ParalympicsGB athletes to take centre stage as the 15th summer Paralympic Games officially got underway following the Opening Ceremony at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro!.
Mr Michel Temer, the acting President of the Republic of Brazil, officially opened the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games during a colourful and vibrant ceremony demonstrating the very best of Brazilian sport and culture.
An estimated 4,350 athletes from more than 160 countries are set to compete in 528 medal events across 22 sports over the next 11 days of sporting action. ParalympicsGB have a 264-strong team in Brazil with ten-time Paralympic equestrian champion and flag bearer Lee Pearson leading the British contingent into the stadium on Wednesday evening.
Speaking afterwards Pearson said: “That was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I am a proud Brit and I’m even more proud now after leading the ParalympicsGB athletes out. We had such good banter before coming into the stadium, they were all so supportive and lovely.
Representatives from 14 of the 19 sports that ParalympicsGB will contest in Rio took part in the opening ceremony and ParalympicsGB have finished in the top three in the medal table at the last four Paralympic Games; with a target of winning 121 medals at Rio 2016. Of the team, 50 per cent are competing at their first Games and 72 per cent at their maiden away Paralympics. Day one of Rio 2016 sees ParalympicsGB athletes in action across seven sports: shooting, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, swimming, cycling, football 7-a-side and athletics.
