Let's rock - Lyme Regis Fossil Festival returns this bank holiday weekend.

The festival, which draws crowds in their thousands, is back in-person for the first time in three years - and this time it is bringing a life-sized dinosaur and 200 million-year-old fossils among its many attractions.

Now in its 14th year, the science festival on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 will host the country’s top palaeontological and geological organisations and experts.

Boffins from the Natural History Museum, the Palaeontological Association, Bristol University, Jurassic Coast Trust, Dinosaur Isle, the Etches Collection and the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre amongst others will attend.

The festival’s Jon Doody said: “The coast around Lyme Regis and Charmouth is one of the most famous and significant fossil sites in the world. It is the richest source of fossil marine reptiles, fish and insects anywhere in the world and is the place where the first ichthyosaur and plesiosaur were described in science thanks to Mary Anning, quite possibly the most famous fossil collector of all time.

“There will be plenty of opportunities to follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning when you join one of the many guided fossil or geological walks over the weekend.”

There will also be a series of‘ thought-provoking and entertaining talks and lectures’ in the Marine Theatre and the Guildhall.

This includes a talk from Charlotte Austwick who will be revealing what it is like to be an explorer in the 21st century.

The adventurer will be sharing stories, tales and experiences from her work with the Maya in central America and about her time living on a remote volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean 1,000 miles from the nearest mainland coast.

Organisers say that people may even discover their very own fossil in the sand to take home.

There will also be stalls selling a variety of fossils, jewellery and dinosaur gifts, as well as a street food and drinks market, as the event returns in-person following two years of online festivals as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Full details of the 2022 programme can be found via the festival website via www.fossilfestival.co.uk