Tarantulas, komodo dragons, and poisonous dart frogs are just some of the creatures you can meet on Chester Zoo‘s newest trail next month.
With the spooky season right around the corner, Luna’s Lost Spell Halloween Trail is set to take over the UK’s biggest charity zoo for the whole of next month from Saturday 1 – Monday 31 October, and it looks set to be an ideal day out for families during the half term.
You’ll get to see komodo dragons, a Gaboon Viper, some poison dart frogs, a blue komodo viper, a tarantula, and even the upside-down Jellyfish as you make your way along the indoor trail.
If meeting the animals wasn’t exciting enough as it is, this is also an interactive trail too.
So for those feeling brave enough, visitors are encouraged to visit the six different animal stations to learn some spellbinding facts about each hair-raising species, all while collecting letters to form a magic word using augmented reality.
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You can meet tarantulas, komodo dragons, and more on Chester Zoo’s new interactive Halloween trail / Credit: Chester Zoo
All you’ll need to do is scan a QR code with your phone to reveal each letter of the word with a fun interactive experience, and then stamp the letters onto a postcard.
You’ll be rewarded with a sweet treat at the end of the trail if you manage to work out the word.
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Of course, as Chester Zoo as place that’s as much about educating people on conservation as it is somewhere to head to for a fun day out, the theme of Luna’s Lost Spell Halloween Trail is linked to the zoo’s BIAZA Vital Venom and Practical Poisons campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of all the “creepy but crucial creatures” at the zoo that are venomous and poisonous.
Luna’s Lost Spell Halloween Trail is set to take over the UK’s biggest charity zoo for the whole of next month / Credit: Chester Zoo
“We’re so excited to launch our very own Halloween themed trail around the zoo this October,” said Gemma Bamford – Admissions & Membership Manager at Chester Zoo.
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“Halloween is the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the unknown species Chester Zoo is home too, inspiring visitors to care for our cause of preventing extinction of not only the renowned species like elephants, giraffes and rhinos, but the more unusual and extraordinary animals that may just shock, surprise or spook you.”
Science and Industry Museum announces new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
A major new exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ is making its world premiere in Manchester next year.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum next February.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
The Science and Industry Museum has announced a new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Manchester Cathedral to host charity Christmas carols service to raise money for local NHS hospitals
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Cathedral will be hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals.
Organised by Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Charity and now in its twelfth year, Christmas Carols in the City will take place in the spectacular surroundings of Manchester Cathedral in a couple of weeks time, and it’s sounding set to be an enchanting experience for the whole family to be involved with this festive season.
The Grade I-listed Manchester Cathedral is one of our city’s most unique buildings, with the Gothic architecture truly being a thing to behold.
Christmas Carols in the City is being described as a ‘great way’ to start the festive season in style.
Hosted by Hits Radio’s Mike Toolan and sponsored by PG Tips, performances on the night will come from local Manchester choirs.
The event is family-friendly and festive fun for everyone, all while raising funds for the Foundation Trust’s family of NHS Manchester hospitals.
Every penny raised from this year’s event will help to build and run a MediCinema on the Oxford Road hospital campus, which will aim to bring the ‘therapeutic magic of the movies’ to patients of all ages cared for by hospitals such as Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Manchester Cathedral is hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals / Credit: Supplied
With room for wheelchairs, hospital beds, and medical equipment, and supported by dedicated nurses and trained volunteers, the new MediCinema will offer 260 screenings a year of the latest releases, alongside much loved film favourites.
In recognition of the MediCinema Appeal, Christmas Carols in the City will feature some much-loved Christmas movie classics at this year’s concert too.
Christmas Carols in the City will return to Manchester Cathedral for 2025 on Tuesday 11 December, with doors opening from 7pm and tickets now on sale.
Emily Sergeant -
29th September 2022 
