“Looking forward to Iguanodon action in 2025.” Dr Jonathan G. Larwood. Curry Fund Secretary, Geologists Association.

“This is very exciting.” Amy Harrison-Seales, Public Engagement Officer, Royal

We are excited to publish a colourful, fun, accessible version of Gideon Mantell’s scientific paper of 1825. This is by kind permission of the

Children at our festival schools will begin exploring the book with the festival facilitator team in January 2025.
School visits will continue through the spring

The ATEAB Funds team are delighted to announce that Chalk Cliff Trust confirms support for the A Town Explores A Book 2025 festival.

Sussex Community Foundation have funded the festival schools engagement programme in recent years. The ATEAB Funds team are delighted that this organisation again confirms support

Our festival ambassadors have visited the Natural History Museum where the writer of our festival book, Gideon Mantell, is featured along with Mary Ann Mantell

Yasmin Aishah, one of the festival’s early career team facilitators, was invited into the Natural History Museum store to explore Iguanodon fossils found in St

The A Town Explores A Book 2025 book choice is Gideon Mantell’s scientific paper naming the Iguanodon in 1825. Gideon Mantell presented this paper at

The Natural History Museum collection includes some of the teeth that Gideon and Mary Ann Mantell found that led Gideon to name the dinosaur Iguanodon

Phil Hadland is a palaeobiologist and local expert on geology and palaeontology heritage in the Hastings area. He is the festival’s co-planner, working with the

The small unincorporated community team behind the A Town Explores A Book festival are a lively and imaginative team of dedicated volunteers who make the

Marking the bicentenary of the naming of the Iguanodon, the Royal Society grants permission for an A Town Explores A Book 2025 edition of palaeontologist

All young writers who entered the A Town Explores A Book 2024 Creative Writing Competition are commended for their lively, imaginative writing themed on trains.

Southeast Communities Rail Partnership CIC’s Platform Panel Project at St Leonards Warrior Square Station raises awareness of local railway history.

Southeast Communities Rail Partnership CIC’s Platform Panel Project at St Leonards Warrior Square Station raises awareness of local railway history.

Southeast Communities Rail Partnership CIC’s Platform Panel Project at St Leonards Warrior Square Station raises awareness of local railway history.

The 2024 festival has now closed. Creative responses to E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children were originated by Bohemia Creative Quarter, Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, Four Courts

The festival opens Saturday 30th March 2024 in St Leonards-on-Sea with the Kings Road street party, the opening of the Platform Panel project at St

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre CIC have begun their automata-making workshops in schools as part of the 8 Ways to Connect festival schools engagement programme.

The A Town Explores A Book 2024 sketch assemblies are under way with the team’s musicians, Cai and Sam.

The team are eagerly awaiting news of funding for artists from Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities and heritage whom the festival are honoured to work with.

A Town Explores A Book is a reader-led festival. We are excited that #MakingItHappen funding has been granted through Hastings Voluntary Action for the Four

The St Leonards-on-Sea’s community and festival visitors are exploring E. Nesbit’s I905 book and have a number of editions of “The Railway Children” to choose

Three trains sped core team members from St Leonards-on-Sea to the National Railway Museum at York and back for a research day in December.

The A Town Explores A Book ‘8 Ways to Connect’ schools engagement programme innovates PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) learning within literacy.

Hastings and Bexhill Mencap’s Active Arts service users plan to highlight key moments from The Railway Children in their festival pop-up museum adjacent to St

Our introductory school activity invites a whole school community to sketch as they listen to a member of the festival team announce the book choice

We are delighted to partner with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in 2024 to offer automata-making workshops to primary school aged children as one of the ‘8

The festival team is delighted to announce that Southeastern Communities Rail partnership CIC will become one of two major project partners in the 2024 festival