A DAY of family fun can be enjoyed at a Whitehaven museum next week.

The Beacon Museum, on the town’s harbourside, will mark the opening of its Visitor Information Point and two new exhibitions with a host of events on Saturday, March 30.

A children’s theatre production of Michael’s Magical Menagerie will be performed at 1pm and 3pm, featuring an epic adventure in a magical world full of weird and wonderful animals, creatures and unusual features.

Storyteller Jeff Wallcook and musician Sarah Kekus tell the tale with song, music, puppetry and laughter.

Michael’s Magical Menagerie will coincide with the opening of the early years exhibition Time To Get Up, which gives visitors the chance to explore the quirks, calamities and surprises of their routines and family life through interactive reading and creative experiences.

The exhibition is brought to Whitehaven by the award-winning Seven Stories - the National Centre of Children’s Books – which is one of the leading inclusive cultural venues in the North East.

Elizabeth Kwasnik, The Beacon Museum’s Director, said: “Time To Get Up is a wonderfully rich experience for children of all ages, and the way colour, sound, smell and touch is used to bring their favourite stories to life will make a great family day out.

“The art of storytelling will be central to it all with our very own ‘story characters’ helping children to engage with their surroundings and develop confidence and face life’s challenges.”

Also opening on March 30 is esteemed artist Alan Stones’ latest collection Drawn From Life.

Alan said: “In this exhibition I have brought together, from across my career, drawings, lithographs and paintings of people’s lives.

“Featured are substantial works, each evolving from many studies, of people at work, and as a contrast, a collection of more domestic (in subject and scale) drawings made directly from life.”

Sitting alongside a body of new work, other pieces from earlier in Alan’s career demonstrate a traditional, earthy use of lithograph to depict Cumbrian farmers at work.

The Visitor Information Point, based on the museum’s ground floor, will be open every day apart from Mondays and will offer a wealth of information and links on the borough’s attractions, hospitality, accommodation and transport.

Also on offer at the museum at regular intervals throughout the day on March 30 are story-telling sessions (included with admission) and Lego robotic workshops.

For more information, or to book places, telephone 01946 5982302 or visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk.