It’s Easter in Birmingham and a perfect time to discover what the city has to offer with a fun packed programme of free, family events throughout the holidays.
Councillor Ray Hassall, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, said, “The Easter Holidays provide imaginative and diverse events and activities in the heart of Birmingham’s communities. Many people across Birmingham are being affected by the global economic downturn and I'm delighted that we have been able to offer such a great range of events at little or no cost!"
The doors are opening on the exciting ancient and modern collections of Birmingham’s local museums with everything from 13th century artefacts at Weoley Castle to contemporary jewellery at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, on display to the public.
The Nature Centre comes out of hibernation too, just in time for the Easter Holidays. The six acre site is home to wallabies and lemurs, meercats and snakes and the incredibly cute goeldi’s monkeys. For little ones there’s a play area in Lilliput Village – home to guinea pigs and their cousin Kerrang the Mara. There is also a very reasonably priced café with indoor play area where children can play safely.
Blakesley Hall, Sarehole Mill and Soho House all re-open in time for the Easter holidays. To help you on your way, there’s a free History Bus on Sunday 5 April which will call in at each of the museums starting at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. At Blakesley Hall, one of the few remaining timber framed buildings left in Birmingham, you can meet a Tudor housekeeper, a Barber Surgeon or even King Henry VIII himself. There are also plenty of Easter family activities and drop-in craft sessions.
Meanwhile, at Sarehole Mill, the childhood haunt of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, you can meet Mick the Miller, join an Easter egg hunt or take part in family craft sessions. The former home of Matthew Boulton, Soho House, has lots of Easter fun. There are free, drop-in family craft activities and a traditional Easter egg hunt. To mark the two hundredth anniversary of Matthew Boulton’s death there is an exhibition dedicated to his life and achievements.
There are further exhibitions dedicated to Boulton’s life and achievements at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and later in the year at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Thanks to major funding, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter now offers additional public galleries, a dedicated schools and life-long learning room and a lovely new tea room and courtyard. It is an exceptional time capsule reflecting the 250-year history of this unique area, often described as a national treasure. There is a new exhibition called ‘Cast in a New Light: a Contemporary Response to Matthew Boulton’ and there are family craft activities and an Easter Egg hunt over the holidays.
There are lots of free exhibitions to stimulate the imagination at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery including ‘In Touch’ and ‘How Art is Made’ that are specifically designed for young people. During the Easter weekend there are themed activities such as an Easter trail with free chocolates for those who complete it. On Tuesday and Thursdays in the Waterhall there are free family activities based around the current Supremes exhibition.
Birmingham’s Libraries are a great source of free entertainment for young and old alike, with many local libraries running craft and story time sessions over the Easter holidays.
Sports and Sports Events are also a major feature this Easter with the British Show Jumping Championships making a welcome return to the LG Arena from 16 – 19 April. World class riders from Britain and abroad, including reigning champion Robert Whitaker, will be competing for the 2009 title.
A new ICE Youth Gym opens at Northfield Pool & Fitness Centre on Saturday April 4, the first day of the schools’ Easter holiday and the Midland Lung Run, Sutton Park, 19 April will provide a great day out for all the family, with the option to run 2km, 5km, or even 10km. All entrants receive a t-shirt, and all finishers receive a souvenir medal. Prizes are on offer for the fastest runners and the top fundraisers.
Don’t forget too that children under 13 years can play golf for free with a paying adult at any of the city’s seven beautifully landscaped golf courses. If you’ve got older children 13-18 years, they’ll only pay £5. Golf is a great way to get some fresh air and exercise so try a round this Easter and maybe you’ll get the golfing bug!
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