Ballymoney museum - relic quest

ARE you looking for something fun to entertain your children this Easter? Why not enroll them on an action-packed day that includes a trip to the Ulster Museum in Belfast and the chance to take part in a visitor trail based on the CBBC children's series, Relic: Guardians of the Museum.

The Relic programmes (BBC 1, Thursdays at 16.35) are part of A History of the World, a partnership between the British Museum, the BBC and museums across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the TV series a ghostly tour guide called Agatha sets challenges for children at the British Museum. Now Ballymoney Museum has its own version of the trail. The trail has been developed especially for children aged between 8-12 years with the purpose of enhancing access to the museum's current exhibition: Collection - Recollection: 150 years of Ballymoney Museum. The exhibition looks at the remarkable history of the museum right back to its earliest times as a collection of 'Irish antiquities and curiosities' in the old Town Hall (now Masonic Hall). Many of these original objects are now on display in the newly refurbished museum.

Ballymoney Museum has been involved with A History of the World since it launched in January 2010. The historically significant Derrykeighan Stone was chosen as one of the 25 original objects to represent Northern Ireland on project's website bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld. Now members of the public are being invited to add their own man-made objects to the site – every item needs to tell a local and a global story.

The Easter event is taking place on Thursday 8th April. It will be facilitated by experienced educator Rita Calwell and Ballymoney Museum staff, who will take the children on a journey of exploration to uncover the hidden treasures of Ballymoney. The day will begin in Ballymoney Museum with the Relic trail, a handling session and craft-based activities, including the chance create their own museum exhibition. After lunch, the journey continues to the Ulster Museum in Belfast, where more challenges will be tackled, based on artifacts from Ballymoney on display there.

After the event, the Ballymoney Museum Relic trails will become available for families to enjoy a self-guided tour around Ballymoney Museum and the Ulster Museum.

The cost of the event is 5. Children must bring a packed lunch

To book a place at this event please contact Ballymoney Museum, Town Hall, 1 Townhead Street, Ballymoney

Tel: 028 27660230