Come and visit us in Green Lanes Shopping Centre, Barnstaple!
Our debut exhibition in our new temporary space over the summer holidays is OPEN!
In our out-of-this-world experience, we’re taking you on a virtual journey from our Solar System out to distant exoplanets, and all the way home to Planet Earth.
Through hands-on exhibits, VR experiences and creative activities, explore how local scientists learn about the climates of these distant planets…
… and the worlds they’ve discovered so far are extreme!
Brace yourself for rains of glass, lava landscapes and giant dust storms: living on Earth is like a walk in the park compared to life on these exoplanets…
Essential Info
Location: Unit 9, Green Lanes Shopping Centre, Barnstaple.
Opening Days: Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat.
Suggested Time: ~45+ minutes.
Admission: Standard entry from £5.00 (with gift aid), tickets via our booking system.
Find out more about planning your visit here.
Events and workshops
We’ve got lots of activities lined up through the summer holidays!
There’s no compulsory fee to take part – but we ask for a suggested donation per participant to help us cover our costs and make our programmes available to more people.
Please ensure you book to guarantee your space!
Friday 28th August – 361 Energy: workshops and People’s Emergency Briefing
10:30, 11:30, 13:30 – Climate myth-busting workshop (approx. 15 mins each)
15:00-17:00 – People’s Emergency Briefing. This is a facilitated session to watch and discuss the Briefing, including what we can do in our communities to address the critical challenges Planet Earth is facing. Find out more about the People’s Emergency Briefing here. Please note that we are following the guidance here to recommend this film for ages 16+.
Saturday 29th August – No one’s Moon Project workshops + NDAS telescope drop-in:
10:00-10:30 & 12:00-12:30 – Dr Suzanne Conway, Moon-inspired art workshop.
11:00-11:30 – Dr Suzanne Conway, Moon-inspired creative writing workshop.
15:00-17:00 – North Devon Astronomical Society, How to use your telescope.
Tuesday 1st September – 361 Energy: workshops and People’s Emergency Briefing
10:30, 11:30, 13:30 – Climate myth-busting workshop (approx. 15 mins each)
15:00-17:00 – People’s Emergency Briefing. This is a facilitated session to watch and discuss the Briefing, including what we can do in our communities to address the critical challenges Planet Earth is facing. Find out more about the People’s Emergency Briefing here. Please note that we are following the guidance here to recommend this film for ages 16+.
Exhibition Resources
In the exhibition, we link to various resources to help you learn more about each topic.
You can find the full list of resources here! Here are some favourites from the exhibition, including the exoplanet VR videos link:
Planning your visit
Booking: Please book your slot to visit the exhibition here! During quieter periods we will have space for a drop-in visit, but booking guarantees your entry at the chosen time.
For workshops, talks or other special events, please book your slot here. If you’d like to visit the exhibition too (recommended!) please book a slot for the exhibition as well using the standard booking link.
Location: We’re in Unit 9 of Green Lanes Shopping Centre in Barnstaple. You can find us on Google Maps here – but note we’re only open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Who’s it for: Everyone! Please book for everyone in your group – adults and children (under 3’s visit for free).
How long will it take? Plan for your visit to last at least 45 minutes – sometimes people stay for hours!
What is it like? The experience is self-guided and we’ll have our exhibition staff and volunteer mediators around to chat to. Check out our videos on social media to get some previews!
This exhibition is an updated version of our former Climate Exhibitions – check out the images and virtual tour here.
You’re welcome to bring your own snacks and drinks (but please take any rubbish home with you and help keep our space tidy for other visitors).
Cost: We experimented with a ‘pay what you can’ system in the first few weeks, although to cover our costs we’ve had to tweak the pricing to ensure we can sustain our operations.
We’re trying to make it as affordable as possible, and it costs our charity approximately £5-7 per person to run the exhibition depending on how many people visit. Standard entry with gift aid is £5 (without the VR experience), and it’s a few pounds more for the Explorer Pass with the VR experience included. If you love what we do and want to support us further, choose our Supporter Pass!
If you’re a UK taxpayer, we’d be so grateful if you choose the gift aid option which enables us to claim back an additional 25% of the ticket price from the Government, at no additional cost to you.
We don’t want cost to be a barrier – we have off-peak timings (14:30-16:00 during school holidays) with a discounted Community Access Admission option during these times, for people from low income households. Speak to us if the cost is a challenge for you.
Do I have to pay if I’m revisiting? Everyone in your group will need to pay for each visit (just as you would to visit a cinema or soft play) – this contributes to our running costs and means we can continue providing this space for the community.
Can I volunteer?? We are actively looking for volunteers to help us in the centre! Check out our volunteering page for more information.
Please book in advance via our booking system!
Thank you to our funders and supporters:
We’re so grateful to The Fore, The Marketor’s Trust, North Devon Council, University of Exeter researchers Prof Nathan Mayne (and the Astrophysics Research Group) and Dr Stephen Thomson, along with Barnstaple Town Council for providing funding to support this exhibition and our pilot centre! Huge thanks to the Philip J Milton & Company Plc who supported consultations for the centre as part of their 40th Legacy Awards grants.
Huge thanks also to TCi who generously donated and delivered almost all the furniture in our exhibition, Chris Horrell for lending and setting up the amazing Starcloth in our Exoplanet Zone, Athena Jane Churchill (our first Artist in Residence!) for making the space look amazing (especially our Positive Potting Shed!), James Moss from the Woodshed Project for all his carpentry support, Martin Staniforth for delivering and installing his amazing creation in our Action Zone – the “Tree of Hope”, our trustee Olya Petrakova for lending us so much decor including theatre curtains and benches, Loki Dawson and our former trustee Celia Butler for all their support with PAT testing, and our brilliant volunteers Cal, Mark and Rob who have helped us with so much of the setup!
