Every Monday, firstpoint publishes five points about a topic related to life at university. This week, it’s the Easter break at the University of Worcester…
POINT ONE: IT’S A TWO-WEEK BREAK FROM TEACHING…
From Monday 3rd April 2023, the majority of semester-based courses take a two-week break from teaching. For some students, this is a chance to relax, unwind and visit family. For others, this will be a busy period, working on assignments and preparing for exams.
POINT TWO: SUPPORT DOESN’T STOP BECAUSE TEACHING HAS…
Although teaching is not taking place, firstpoint and Student Services remains open – with the exception of the bank holidays on Good Friday 7th April and Easter Monday 10th April 2022.
If you are looking for information, support or advice, or help booking appointments with specialist teams, please get in touch. You can call 01905 542551, email firstpoint@worc.ac.uk or drop-in and see us on the St John’s campus; we are open from 9am until 4.30pm. See the firstpoint webpages for details of the services available.
POINT THREE: EVENTS IN WORCESTER…
If you’re staying in Worcester and are looking for some activities away from your course, check out these family-friendly events.
- Looking for an eggcellent way to celebrate Easter? Look no further! Bring your eggsplorers to Hartlebury Castle for a cracking good time!
Explore the beautiful grounds of the Castle as you hunt for the hidden eggs and surprises! Make sure to report back to our friendly staff and the Easter bunny. Everyone who takes part in the egg hunt will get a chocolatey treat at the end to enjoy.
Egg Hunt Times (hunt time must be pre-booked):
For all ages – 11.30am, 1pm, 2.30pm
4 years and under only – 10am
To book tickets and find out about other activities, visit the Hartlebury Castle Easter event webpage.
- For family activities, test your safari skills and go wild looking for fabulous famous animals on this grrreat trail at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum. Look out for fantastic animals like Shaun the Sheep and Peppa Pig hidden around the museum…
The trail will be running from Saturday 4 March to Saturday 1 July 2023 (closed Sundays).
Pop into the shop to pick up a trail for £1 or come along in the school holidays to delve into a whole bag of themed activities for £3.50 (including the trail).
Easter holidays – Perfect Pigs: activity bag | Saturday 1 April to Saturday 15 April
May half-term holiday – Silly Sheep: activity bag | Saturday 27 May to Saturday 3 June
Free entry. Plan your visit and find out about other events on the Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum webpages.
- Family fun is flying into The Commandery for the Easter holidays. From spring chicks to birds and butterflies, there are all sorts of animal-inspired activities in store.
The Commandery, one of Worcester’s oldest buildings, will feature winged creatures emerging from their eggs for families to spot on their way around the historic rooms and gardens.
Children can get a small prize when they’ve found all the creatures. There’ll also be an opportunity to make a hatching chick to take home, and for children to get cracking on creating fantastic designs for eggs too.
The trail and crafts run from Tuesday 4 to Sunday 16 April 2023; usual admission + £3. No need to book.
Are you a Worcester resident? Learn more about the resident pass scheme and how it can save you money on entry throughout the year.
POINT FOUR: DECORATE YOUR OWN PACE EGG…
The first mention of pace eggs comes from early 18th-century Lancashire, and they grew in popularity over the century. They were given as presents or at pace egg plays, and sometimes they were rolled along the ground in a race.
Any eggs can be used to make pace eggs, although white egg shells will produce more vivid results. Allow 10-12 minutes boiling time for large hens eggs or 15 minutes for duck eggs.
Put white wine vinegar in with the eggs or submerge the hard boiled eggs in a dye bath after they have been cooked.
To make the dye bath use 250ml water to the same quantity of colourant listed below plus 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. The more dye you use the more vibrant the effect! You may also want to wear rubber gloves to avoid your hands getting stained.
- Red – 2-3 tsp cochineal
- Yellow – 2-3 tsp turmeric
- Blue or Green – ¼-½ tsp food colouring paste (I’ve tried spinach but wasn’t happy with the results)
- Orange – either boil the brown skins of 2 – 3 large onions separately to make a dye bath or boil them with the eggs.
Once the eggs have cooled, use kitchen towel to smear flavourless oil over each one. Gently rub this off to give the eggs a bit of a shine. Store in the fridge until required.
Strips of dyed rags can also be tied around the egg before boiling – this will give the shells a marbled effect when the colour runs from the material. You could also draw on the shell with wax before placing it in the dye, which leaves a white inscription on a coloured background. You could also use a very sharp, pointed knife to inscribe a design on the surface by carefully removing the colour and revealing the white shell underneath.
[borrowed from English Heritage]
POINT FIVE: MAKE TIME FOR A CHOCOLATE EGG…
The first chocolate Easter egg in the UK was introduced in 1873 by the family-owned company, Fry’s.
It was in Easter 1873, that Fry’s would create the first chocolate egg. Traditionally, at Easter, people would give each other chicken’s eggs which had been hard boiled and painted bright colours (that’s where the tradition of decorating eggs comes from).
Fry’s took this tradition and put their own spin on it, and so the first chocolate Easter eggs were introduced in this country.
Fry’s took this tradition and put their own spin on it, and so the first chocolate Easter eggs were introduced in this country.
Fry’s competitors quickly caught on and copied with Cadbury’s making their own chocolate Easter eggs two years later. [Borrowed from Preston Park Museum]
Since then, they’ve become hugely popular – 80 million are sold in the UK each year! You can buy them in any of the supermarkets, and they come in a wide range of sizes, prices and designs!
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