10 things to do across Hampshire this weekend

HAVE a go whilst it's still here – or you'll have to wait a whole year for another chance.

Enjoy festive, rain-free skating at the heart of Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas Market! Skate around a huge Christmas Tree in the centre of the Ice Rink and then warm up with a cup of hot chocolate in the Ice Rink café.

Sessions last one hour including time to fit skates.

Tickets include free skate hire and children’s skate aids are available for hire from the skate fit marquee.

2 In Winchester...

DINOSAURS may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of the festive period.

But Winchester Science Centre is not deterred.

The World of Dinosaur Roar! is still open at the centre and has put smiles on the faces of hundreds of families already.

The team is inviting children to take on the role of a palaeontologist at Dino Dig and Fossil Forensics, meet a dinosaur ranger and their baby triceratops and handle real and replica fossils at the mini Fossil Festival

3 In Hook...

THERE'S an innovate show coming to Heckfield Place this weekend.

The magical world of The Insect Circus invites the audience to forget reality and become immersed in the strange and beautiful world of insects.

Beetles and grasshoppers, wasps and dragonflies, demonstrate their dexterity with great skill and humour.

Presented using marionettes, the show breathes new life into the traditional techniques used in Victorian trick marionettes.

Tickets: online.

4 In Chawton...

JANE Austen's House Museum first opened to the public 70 years ago, on July 23 1949.

Since then it has welcomed over a million visitors and has become one of the most important and best-loved literary sites in the world. Discover its story this weekend.

The story of the Museum began in the 1940s when the newly-founded Jane Austen Society ran a fundraising campaign to save the house, which had fallen into disrepair.

This caught the attention of Mr T Edward Carpenter, a London lawyer, who went on to buy the house for the nation.

5 In Portsmouth...

THIS weekend is one of the last chances to visit The Many Faces of Tudor England at the Mary Rose Museum.

The exhibition explores the latest scientific and genealogical findings into the crew of the ship and helps answer important questions about the crew on board the ship – what did they look like? Where were they born? What was their genetic heritage?

to reveal the true diversity of Tudor England.

Further information on this exhibition is in the attached press release.

6 In Gosport...

Dust down your Rubik’s Cube and grab your legwarmers for a warp-speed trip back to the 80s.

The fantastic new exhibition I Grew Up 80s at Gosport Gallery this weekend will give an entire generation a chance to wallow in 80s nostalgia with over 200 iconic objects that defined the decade.

Following the success of his hit Star Wars-themed exhibition May The Toys Be With You, collector and cultural commentator Matt Fox has devoted himself to exploring a 1980s childhood through the iconic objects of an era in which so much changed.

Visitors will be able to travel through the cultural landscape of 1980s Britain, revisiting the vibrancy, quirkiness and innovation that symbolised the 80s.

7 In Winchester...

EXPLORE, discover and enjoy Winchester with two self-guided, quirky, heritage walks with an optional treasure hunt.

Are you curious about Winchester? Looking for an unusual and quirky activity which gets you out in the fresh air whatever the weather?

Take one of the self-guided walks with a treasure hunt theme – looping around the better-known sights, as well as some of the more unusual and quirky ones, which combined make Winchester a fabulous place to explore.

You'll get everything – detailed directions, maps, clues , and interesting snippets about the history of Winchester and the people that have shaped it.

8 In Basingstoke...

BEQUEATHING The Vyne to the National Trust in 1956, three rooms in the mansion will explore how Sir Charles Chute and the estate evolved through the turbulence of two world wars.

Sir Charles inherited The Vyne in 1892 and ultimately ensured its survival in the 20th Century.

Over 100 years of history will reveal how The Vyne has always been happiest when full of people.

9 In Winchester...

A NEW exhibition is at the Discovery Centre.

The Southern Ceramics Group Pottery Display includes 500 works from 50 local potters.

One of the most striking things about their exhibitions is the wide range of artefacts they manage to create from the same material.

The work varies from bright colourful earthenware vases, to subtle stoneware bottles, fine porcelain bowls and sculptural forms; both abstract and figurative.

10 In Romsey...

THERE'S still some Christmas magic left at Sir Harold Hillier Garden.

Inspired by Raymond Brigg's much-loved classic The Snowman, this wonderful wintry adventure is suitable for children of all ages.

Guides cost £5 and come with a special The Snowman and the Snowdog gift.

The gardens are open from 10am to 5pm, last trail admission is 3pm.

No need to book. All children must be accompanied by an adult.