YOUNG visitors have lots to look forward to at Bridport Museum during the school summer holidays.

The museum has launched its new free children’s trails.

For the youngest visitors there are hidden ‘peep holes’ dotted around the displays that only reveal their secrets to those small enough to crouch down and explore them. For slightly older children aged from 8-12 there is a trail that involves decoding!

Since it re-opened in May after its major Heritage Lottery funded redevelopment, more than 5,000 visitors have passed through the doors of Bridport Museum- double the number of people visiting over the same period last year.

The trails are designed to be not just an accessible introduction to the museum’s collections but to be a fun and engaging wet weather activity for the school holidays.

Curator Emily Hicks said: ‘It’s been really exciting to watch families explore the museum- and we’re delighted that there is lots to keep everyone entertained this summer- there are new outfits to dress up in… if there’s a drawer- you can open it. There are lots of extra things to discover the harder you look. Tonnes of things can be touched- from football netting to ammonites."

A new events programme has also launched on Tuesday mornings from 10am are Crafty Crawlers- a drop in session for pre-schoolers. There’s also a new ‘Saturdads’ session once a month and regular craft demonstrations.

For those who fancy getting out and about- join one of the historic guided walks on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer.

For more details, see bridportmuseum.co.uk or the Facebook page facebook.com/BridportMuseum

These events and more have all been made possible made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project was funded by a £841,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).