This winter half-term, our festivals team were kept on their feet with not one but two outings to some of the nation’s enterprising public science events. On February 15th, a team of four volunteers headed to Nottingham Central Library to show visitors to the Festival of Science and Curiosity what life at the poles is like. Then, over two days and two fantastic venues, another team went the extra mile to engage diverse groups of attendees to the 2025 Cardiff Science Festival. Both events were packed with engaging encounters, including many a curious question from adults and children alike, as well as guest appearances from one Member of Parliament and one Antarctic veteran!
The Nottingham event kicked off slowly but soon there was a steady stream of guests lining up to see our two fantastic polar displays and try on real polar clothing loaned from the British Antarctic Survey. As people added ice to our sea-level bucket over the day, the water level rose, simulating the ongoing impacts of increased ice loss from the polar ice sheets due to anthropogenic climate change. Meanwhile, some got creative and used their imaginations to create all sorts of new polar wildlife in our crafting corner. Over 70 people engaged with our activities throughout the day, but the stand-out visitor was none other than local MP for Nottingham East, Nadia Whittome! In Parliament she has used her voice to advocate for more ambitious climate policy by co-sponsoring a recent bill. Our volunteers enjoyed chatting to her about the impacts of climate change at the poles and commended her enthusiasm and high level of knowledge!
The popular polar displays made back-to-back appearances at the Cardiff events, including a day in the atmospheric undercroft at Cardiff Castle! (Carrying them round the tight spiral staircase was a challenge!) Visitors to the dungeon were surprised by the exciting array of polar activities and brought lots of questions (why can’t polar bears meet penguins?). Many young emperors and kings (and queens!) also waddled up to compare their heights to the different species of penguin found in Antarctica. The activities were well-received again the following day on our return to the Grangetown Hub public library, where surprise guests included a Falklands Veteran and a family who’d come all the way from France!
Overall, nearly 200 people engaged with UK Polar Network over the two events, a fantastic achievement with only a handful of volunteers, who, though sometimes rushed off their feet, also had a great experience! In the words of one of our team: “it was overall a really enjoyable experience. […] I got to have some really great discussions with people, including lots of young children, and it was really encouraging to see so many young people interested in science.”
Thanks to everyone who supported us at both events, and especially to all the volunteers for giving so freely of their time and skills! If you’re an early-career scientist interested in developing your outreach experience, or you have an idea for a festivals opportunity UKPN could get involved in, we’d love to hear from you at festivals@polarnetwork.org.
Edmund Lea
UK Polar Network Festivals Team
