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So Who fancies fighting a Dalek?

by Angela Kelly
9/ 2/2007

SURVIVE the first school half-term of the year by discovering some new family favourites to visit and enjoy in the Manchester area.

Finding something to interest children is the key to a happier 2007 for everyone at home and, fortunately, there are plenty of things to see and do - many of them free and just a bus, tram or train-ride away.

CELEBRATE a couple of important milestones in photography by letting children put themselves in the picture at Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. From Monday to Sunday, a range of fun events will be held to link in to 100 years of colour photography and 200 years since the invention of the camera.

Everyone will be shown how to make a simple camera. They can also handle intriguing objects from the museum's collection and have their picture taken fighting a Dalek from Doctor Who!

Find out more from the museum in Liverpool Road in the city centre by ringing 0161 832 2244.

MANCHESTER Museum, in the University of Manchester on Oxford Road, has a half-term activities programme called Wild About Wildlife which is linked to the Wild Britain exhibition there.

It includes family trails and a chance to handle objects from the museum's natural history collection. It's free, for all ages, and will be held from Monday to Friday next week, 11am to 4pm.

On Monday at 1.30pm and 3pm, all the family can also enjoy a Wildlife Adventure, which is an interactive tour of the mammal gallery. This is free but you need to book beforehand.

On Tuesday and Thursday, pop up to the Gallery Bench on the third floor and watch the conservation team in action (suitable for ages five-plus) and on Wednesday, it's Happy Hedgehog Day with free activities and story-telling especially for the under-fives and their families.

Youngsters from eight upwards can make and decorate a bird box to take home. Sessions are 1.30pm and 3.30pm but book beforehand. And dinosaur fans should go along on Big Saturday, 11am to 4pm, when there are talks.



MAKE festive lanterns linked to celebrations for the Chinese Year of the Pig at Manchester's Chinese Arts Centre on Sunday.

The family workshop is one of a series this month with artist Sarah Lin and runs from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at the centre in Thomas Street. Ring them on 0161 832 7271 for more details.

And for romantic adults, there is a Valentine's ceramic-decorating workshop with Bethan Lloyd Worthington at the Chinese Arts Centre tomorrow (Saturday).

You can decorate teacups and saucers for the one you love at a guest-artist workshop to accompany Manchester Craft and Design Centre's RAW exhibition.

The event runs from 10am to 4pm and costs £25, which includes all materials and lunch. For more information ring 0161 832 4274.

IMPERIAL War Museum North at Salford Quays has half-term activities guaranteed to absorb young minds - and fingers!

Holiday Hotspots runs from Monday to Friday, in the main exhibition space and special exhibition gallery, throughout the day. These involve lively activities using costume, craft and handling objects.

There is plenty to fascinate here, including Action Stations - a set of nine interactives aimed at families and bringing to life the museum's story of how war has shaped lives in the last century.

Family gallery packs are also available to help all ages get the most out of the current exhibition Witness 2, which is all about art in the Second World War.

To find out more about this free attraction, ring 0161 836 4000.

And for mums and dads, or any adults fascinated by the GI jive dancers of the Second World War, there's a wartime dance hour at the museum on Sunday at 1pm for beginners and 2.30pm for improvers. Cost is £4 a session (£3 concessions). To book ring 0161 836 4007.

CREATE your own Victorian art at Manchester Art Gallery on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoons next week at special family workshops.

All ages can pose for traditional pictures and even make Victorian-inspired greetings cards at this free event at the gallery in Mosley Street in the city centre. Ring 0161 235 8888 for more details.

STEP back into the criminal past of Victorian Manchester at the Greater Manchester Police Museum, in Newton Street.

Sample life in a busy police station, reflecting a hidden city of gas lamps and narrow alleys, slums and unruly alehouses, and venture into the original Victorian cells with their wooden pillows.

Uniforms, police equipment, forgery and forensic science are all here in this comprehensive museum. It's only open on Tuesdays, 10.30am to 3.30pm, but admission is free; allow about an hour and a half for your visit. Ring 0161 856 3287 to find out more or you can log on to www.gmp.police.uk

NINE to 13 year-olds interested in film-making should head for Urbis in Cathedral Gardens in the city centre next week.

As part of its half-term activities, Urbis has organised Urban Movies, which helps youngsters find out how a TV studio works, how to produce, edit, copy and script-write short films - all concluding with a premiere film-screening.

Youngsters can be left to enjoy the day (8.30am to 5.30pm) at this series of workshops, which run from Monday to Friday and cost £20 per day. Ring Urbis on 0161 605 8200 to book a place or find out more.

WATCH the best squash players in the country at the National Squash Championships at Sportcity for a week from Sunday.

Top female player Tania Bailey is set to inspire females of all ages and Nick Matthew will be hoping to repeat his Manchester double after winning the men's title here for the first time last year. For tickets and information, ring 08706 021188.

ENJOY a healthy 10-mile walk around the River Tame with rangers from Tameside and Stockport on Sunday.

Meet at Portland Basin car park in Portland Street South, Ashton-under-Lyne, at 9.30am for the event which lasts until 4.30pm. The event is free, apart from £3 for transport to the start, and is open to all.

And on Wednesday next week, there is another free health walk in Reddish Vale Country park from 10.30am to noon. Meet at the Reddish Vale visitor centre.

This is a gentle walk, free and open to all. Contact 0161 477 5637 or 474 4512 for more information about either walk.