ROBOTS, frogs and rocket science – a festival that promised to inject fun into science was held in Winchester last weekend.

Now in its third year, the Winchester Science Festival ran from Friday, July 25, until Sunday, July 27, with a host of speakers, educators and entertainers that let imaginations run riot.

With everything from space stations, aviation and evolution, all at its base in Jewry Street, no stone was left unturned in a bid to promote the subject to young people.

On Friday talks were held in the Theatre Royal, which hosted a mobile planetarium on Saturday and Sunday, with exhibits at the Winchester Discovery Centre across all three days.

Jon McAlroy, head of operations at Winchester Science Foundation who ran the event, said: “We think all the children who went to the talks and exhibits got a good insight into what science can do and offer as a career and also finding things out and how interesting it is. It’s not a boring job, it’s an exciting job full of opportunities. That was one of the main aims and we strongly feel that we achieved that.”

Mr McAlroy said the highlight of the festival was the Mantis robot on Saturday. Standing at up to three metres tall, five metres across and two tonnes in weight, it was designed and built by Winchester man Matthew Denton.

“It’s something people can say they are proud comes from Winchester.”

Exhibits were provided by the Society of Biology, Science and Technology Facilities Council and Cancer Research UK.