Friday feb 8

1 Farmer Gows farm attraction is a great place to take the family today when you can meet the animals at 11am and 2pm. For the young ones there are also bale climbs, pedal tractors and an adventure play area. There is also a farm shop and cosy cafe. There us a chance to be a farmer for a day on one of the workshops. All weather fun for all the family, come rain or shine includes a Tractor Yard, Kidbine Harvester, Egg boxing and chicken handling, interactive hands-on with snuffly pigs, hand-fed goats and sheep, meet the chickens, indoor play areas, playground and Treasure Hunt for children on the giant bale climb, with a small prize for every participating child. Farmer Gows is at Longcot Road, Fernham, SN77PR http://www.farmergows.co.uk/

2 Lacock Abbey's beautiful grounds are the perfect place to relax, explore and search for snowdrops with the family, today from 11am. Wander through the changing colours, clamber up a giant tree stump and see if you can spot some of the local wildlife. The grounds of Lacock Abbey come to life with clusters of snowdrops during February, some have already made an appearance. Lacock village and Lacock Abbey have been used as a location in TV and film productions of Wolfman, Pride and Prejudice, Cranford Chronicles, Emma and Harry Potter films. Lacock Abbey, located in the centre of the village was founded in the 13th century and dissolved in 1539. Later, it became a quirky country house of various architectural styles within its own woodland grounds. It was a home for the Talbot family, including William Henry Fox Talbot 19th century, famous for his contributions towards the invention of the photographic negative. His amazing achievements are celebrated in the Fox Talbot Museum on the ground floor and the gallery above holds special exhibitions throughout the year. Wander through the Medieval cloisters, and 16th century stable courtyard, explore the furnished rooms and discover the 18th century Gothick hall. Tickets £14 for adults and £7 for children, with a family ticket at £35.40. For more details call 01249 730459

3 The Jolly Roger Adventure is one of the biggest play centres in Swindon, and one of the largest in the South West, open for family fun today. The centre provides a safe and secure environment that allows children to both learn and play within the confines of the soft play area. The centre was set up in 1995 and the Jolly Roger is the perfect place for birthday parties. It is open from 9.15am to 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday, and 9.15am to 6pm from Friday to Sunday. There is Unlimited Play Time, free Wifi and adults have free entry, and free parking. The Jolly Roger is at Greenbridge Road, in Swindon. For more details call 01793 522044

Saturday

4 Lydiard Park has 260 acres of historic landscape with lawns, woodlands, lakes, pasture and snowdrop walks for the family to enjoy from 11am tomorrow. Wide, accessible paths criss-cross the site making it a great location for a walk, run, jog or bike ride. Dogs are welcome in the park, though not allowed in the children's play area, playing fields, Lydiard House and Walled Garden (except guide dogs), the cafe and indoor areas of the Tea Rooms. Jungle Parc, an aerial adventure activity, offers the Adventurer Course, the first of its kind in the UK, which has proved to be a very popular activity for young adventurers! As with the Xplorer Course there are more than 40 different activities including, monkey bridges, super fast Zips, Rocket Launchers, Cargo Nets and Tunnel Slides (Minimum height 1.05m). Each level of the Adventurer Course gets slightly higher. The Adventurer course includes: All Equipment, training, session on Adventurer Course, Adventurer Certificate. Tickets are children: £14Please note children on the Adventurer course will require supervision (not actually on the course) at a ratio of one adult for every five children. Supervisors are required to walk the full course with children and to help assist from below. For all bookings and enquiries, please contact Jungle Parc direct. All the information on this centre including opening times, prices and on-line booking is on their website: www.jungleparc.co.ukor call 0844 879 4378.

5 Take the family for a day out tomorrow to walk among a trail of snowdrops in the 18th-century landscape garden in Bath at Prior Park. Winter in the garden sees the bare trees open views which are not possible with summer foliage. The gardeners undertake tree felling work at this time of year - working to restore the garden to it's 1764 state, and the time of creator Ralph Allen's death. The garden is surprisingly green throughout the winter, with glossy green laurels, and other evergreen trees and shrubs, there are even flowers to be found on the vibernums.

The most colourful winter resident, the kingfisher, can often be found on the Serpentine lake at the top of the garden, and the song birds and squirrels are never far away. Cold frosty mornings are paired with steam rising over the lower lakes, giving the perfect opportunity to wrap up warm for a winter walk. There is also a chance to refresh the tastebuds at the tea shed by the lakes. For more details visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/prior-park-landscape-garden

6 Family Drop-in Workshop from 11am tomorrow is at the Museum & Art Gallery, Bath Road, Swindon to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Young ones have the chance to make a dancing dragon to bring good luck to the Year of the Pig! Also take a look at Animals: Seven Swindon Stories exhibition. Explore Swindon’s history through the lives of seven of the town’s most famous animal inhabitants, from Mr Higginbotham’s snails and Eastcott’s cricket infestation, with special focus on Bruce the Collecting Dog, the canine hero who raised thousands of pounds for local orphans, the Victoria Hospital and survivors of the Titanic disaster. Bruce wore a special collecting box on his back and barked a thank you for any coins he was given. You can see Bruce’s collecting box, as well as photos of Swindon’s hero dog. This exhibition features photographs, paintings and objects from Swindon’s collections, including examples from our extensive natural history collection. There will be activities for younger visitors, too! Ends at 4.30pm. Tickets are £3 from 01793 466556

7 Meet the Railway Workers takes place fortnightly on Saturdays at Steam Railway Museum, Firefly Avenue, Rodbourne, Swindon. Whatever your age, our friendly team of volunteers will add to the Steam experience as you tour the museum. They will welcome families aboard three famous locomotives: No. 4073 Caerphilly Castle, No. 3717 City of Truro, and No. 6000 King George V! You'll even get to find out how the controls worked on the great engines! Expect to hear some fascinating anecdotes of what it was like to be a GWR engine driver, fireman or labourer; or an engineer, craftsman or office worker at one of the 'Shops' inside GWR's Swindon Works. Our volunteers are happy to help with any questions you may have about the GWR locomotives and artefacts we have on display at Steam. This great experience is free with standard admission and for Steam Season Ticket holders.

Sunday

8 North West Wiltshire Ramblers invite families to take a Sunday stroll at Newark Park to see the snowdrops. Walkers should meet at 12pm, in the Bath Road car park, Chippenham for a four mile/6km walk. Snowdrops and visit house is £9 for non National Trust members. NT car park is £3 for non-members. The Tudor hunting lodge is an intriguing historic home. There will be an opportunity to look around the house, to have a picnic or lunch then the walk starts at 2pm, from the house entrance. Newark Park, Ozleworth, near Wotton-Under-Edge, GL12 7PZ, ST 785 935 is on OS Map 167. For more details call 01249 701265.

9 A beautiful spot for the family to find the harbingers of spring, the snowdrops, is at Stanton Park, a 74-hectare country park and local nature reserve, a few minutes drive from the centre of Swindon. It features extensive woodland and a large lake. There are several footpaths from the park to the villages of Stanton Fitzwarren and Blunsdon. Other paths link the park to the Woodland Trust's Stratton Community Woodland site. The park contains a scheduled ancient monument - the site of a Roman Villa (although there are no visible remains). The park provides an exceptionally wide range of habitats, such as: remnants of ancient woodland; hedgerows; wildflower meadows; wetlands; a lake, streams and a series of recently restored ponds, over 900 species of fungi and mixture of mature, specimen hardwood trees. For more details call 01793 490150

10 Slapstick Sunday with Andy Day is on Sunday from 2pm, at the Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine's Parade, Bristol. Slapstick with the popular children’s TV presenter is a laugh-out-loud extravaganza film show created especially for your little ones. Perfect for children, Andy will share some of his favourite funny film clips. He's chosen a selection of hysterical silent comedies and animations to delight and transfix your children. Watch and giggle at the best of Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and more! Marvel at the world's first animated Dinosaur in Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). Delight in Andy's mad-capped antics and tongue-twisting raps. In a bright and safe film world from the past, Slapstick Sunday with Andy Day captures young children's imaginations and introduces them to the wonderful world of classic comedy. Tickets are £11.25 - £16.25 on 0844 847 2341.