Easter fun for all the family!

8:41am Sunday 23rd March 2008

From donkey grooming to dancing, and creating crafts to trails of chocolate, here's a run-down of what's on in and around Worcestershire this Easter.

Webbs Garden Centre
A free Easter Egg trail will take place through the Riverside Gardens at Webbs, Wychbold on Good Friday and Saturday.

Children will also be able to get their hands dirty and take part in potting workshops between 10am and 1pm from Tuesday to Friday, March 28. Tickets are £4 per child, including all plants and materials.

Children's entertainer Professor Pepperpot will also be raising smiles with his balloon fun, free each day from 10am to 2pm. Young visitors will also be able to have their faces painted and fair rides will be open each day.

The Commandery
The Commandery will be nostalgically decorated 1950s style between Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday.

On arrival, children will be given a free Easter gift and the museum's gardens will be transformed into a traditional Easter fete.

An Easter Egg hunt will also take place, and people will be able to try decorating Easter eggs and make cards before taking part in a 50s tea dance.

Three Counties Showground, Malvern
Countrytastic is a family show which will give children the chance to take part in more than 100 activities including donkey grooming, making smoothies and bread, to riding on tractors and Shire horses.

Youngsters will also be able to meet, talk with, have fun and learn from people who make up the heart of the countryside including farmers, potters, beekeepers and ice cream makers.

The event takes place between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, March 27.

The Greyfriars
Take part in an Easter trail around the house and garden in Friar Street, Worcester, on Good Friday and Saturday.

The Fold, Bransford
More than 100 artists and performers will set out their stalls, workshops and put on entertainment between 11am and 5pm on Easter Monday.

On show will include jewellery, sculptures, paint-your-own-pots, stained-glass, mosaics, wooden bowls, ironwork and art therapy.

There will also be activities for people to get involved in, including batik and a drop-in tile workshop.

Witley Court
There will be an Easter trail taking place through the grounds of Witley Court all this weekend. People will be able to follow the trail and claim an Easter prize at the end.

The trail will be open Good Friday to Easter Sunday 10am to 5pm.

Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, Foregate Street, Worcester
Archaeologist Angie Bolton will be on hand to help amateur collectors and excavators identify and record their finds between 2pm and 4pm on Wednesday.

The following day Pattern 23 Theatre Company will produce a performance to tell an entertaining story about science and quackery. First performance starts at 10.30am.

Severn Valley Railway
People are being invited to take a ride on the Severn Valley Railway during its grand Easter re-opening weekend. The new visitor and education centre in the Engine House at Highley will also open from Good Friday.

County Museum at Hartlebury Castle
Visitors will be able to get up close to a whole range of creatures from the creepy and the crawly to the cute and fluffy on Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

There will also be music and dance performances from local groups on show.

On Saturday, the whole family can learn about the work of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Mary Baulk's Puppet Theatre show will take place on Easter Sunday, while the Easter Bunny is set to make an appearance on Bank Holiday Monday.

Croome Park
An Easter trail and family activities are being organised to take place within the grounds of the 18th century parkland Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

Jinney Ring Craft Centre
There will be an Easter Treasure Hunt around the gardens of the Jinney Ring Centre, near Hanbury from Good Friday until Thursday, March 27. There will also be falconry displays between midday and 3pm every day.

A pottery workshop for children and a floral and woodland art exhibition will also be available on different days.

Various walks
People have got the chance to go on an Easter-themed walk as part of the Ramblers' Association Easter Walks Eggstravaganza.

The walks will take in Hanbury, Hartlebury Common and canalside, and Bromyard over the course of the weekend.

For full details of the walks visit www.ramblers.co.uk/walksfinder/easterwalks2008.html

Avoncroft Museum
Step back in time and join the resident Tudor family in the Merchant's House and see how they prepare for Easter - the most important celebration in the Tudor calendar.

The museum near Bromsgrove will be open Easter Sunday and Monday, and there will be a special service in Bringsty Mission Church at 2.30pm on Sunday.

Hereford Cathedral
Assistant organist Peter Dyke will perform an Easter concert at 1.15pm on Easter Monday, while the Cathedral tower will open on the same day giving people a chance to climb the 218 steps and survey the sights over the city.

Tours also include the Lantern Gallery and Ringing Chamber. The Tower is open between 11am and 3pm and will be open for the rest of the week until Saturday, March 29.

Bus timetable alterations
If you are off out and about you might want to check your timetable fore you travel.

Passengers will need to check their travel arrangement either by calling Traveline on 0871 200 2233 or the bus service operator as changes vary from route-to-route.

More information is also available at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/bustimetables