THE summer season of events at Basingstoke Discovery Centre has been unveiled.

Kicking off the season is a new programme of free afternoon film screenings featuring the biggest blockbusters from the past 12 months.

Taking quick snapshots on your compact camera, iPhone or smartphone has never been easier. But taking photos you want to print and keep forever can be much harder. On Saturday, May 25 a one-off workshop on getting the most out of your camera will take place.

For those who own a Digital SLR or Bridge Camera, a similar workshop will take place on Saturday June 15 that includes using natural light, flash and close-up photography. Both workshops are £30 and run from 10am to 4pm.

On Tuesday, May 21, the History Wardrobe will shine the spotlight on some of Jane Austen’s older characters in 'Ladies of a Certain Age'. The costumed show presents lively readings from Austen's novels, interspersed with insights into the realities of life for women past their first blush of youth in Regency England; not forgetting praise for literature's most marvellous spinster - Jane Austen herself. The show starts at 2pm and costs £5 (including refreshments).

Ian Mucklejohn made history when he became the first single man in the UK to have his own children without a female partner. On Thursday, June 6 he will be visiting the Discovery Centre to talk about his latest book A Dad for all Seasons: How My Sons Raised Me. The talk begins at 2pm and costs £3.

As part of Basingstoke Festival, Saturday, July 6 will be a day of celebrating reading and writing in the Discovery Centre. In the morning, crime authors Peter Lovesey and Pauline Rowson are joined by two crime experts from Hampshire Police to talk about crime research and how it feeds fiction in ‘CSI: Basingstoke’. The event starts at 10am and costs £5.

In the afternoon, self-published author and marketing guru Ben Galley will be talking about writing, publishing and marketing using today’s technology. This one-off opportunity to find out what resources and tips are available to authors starts at 2pm and costs £5.

The summer holidays will be packed with fun activities and the opportunity to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – read any six books across the holidays and collect stickers, a medal and certificate along the way.

And to celebrate the enjoyment of reading, Horrible Science author Nick Arnold will bring his ‘Best Bits!’ show to the Discovery Centre on Wednesday, August 14 at 10am, with evil experiments, scary stories and queasy quizzes! The show starts at 10am and costs £6.

The latest What’s On guide is now available to collect from Basingstoke Discovery Centre. To book a place at any of these events, visit Basingstoke Discovery Centre in Festival Place, call 01256 478670 or log onto hants.gov.uk/bsdc.