Keep in touch with all the latest news about Dippy's visit to Norwich Cathedral on the Cathedral's dedicated micro-site
Click here to learn more about the School's celebration event, to mark Dippy's visit
On 15th November 2016, TSN and Norwich Cathedral announced they have been successful in securing the visit of Dippy the Dinosaur to Norwich in July 2020. The partnership between the two organisations developed during preparations for the 2016 Cathedral Science Week with the bid to host Dippy being written jointly by the Dean of Norwich Cathedral (Jane Hedges) and TSN's coordinator, Phil Smith.
Head Shot of Dippy the Diplodoccus, copyright Natural History Museum, London | The first publicity shot in the Nave of Norwich cathedral with the Dean. Copyright Archant/Denise Bradley |
The iconic dinosaur skeleton goes on a National tour of the British Isles in 2018, with Norwich being the final stop on this ‘natural history adventure’. Dippy will occupy the Nave of Norwich Cathedral for 4 months enabling visitors to marvel at its sheer size and engage with debates about Future Climate and Future Food so relevant to the work of the member organisations on the Norwich Research Park.
Dr. Phil Smith, MBE, is excited to be able to finally make this announcement, “Although Dippy’s story goes back 150 million of years, TSN is really excited to have the opportunity to inspire countless young people by discussing contemporary science challenges for which Dippy will be the ideal backdrop. We will be supporting teachers across the region in making these stories accessible and engaging”
He added “Of course Dippy allows us to talk about the dinosaurs, but so much more - Dippy is an introduction to Natural History, to Science and to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). We plan to work closely with our partners on the world leading Norwich Research Park and consider Future Climate (working closely with the School of Environmental Science at UEA) and Future Food in collaboration with TSN’s host institution the John Innes Centre and the new Quadram Institute.”
The timing of Dippy’s visit to Norwich is highly significant for TSN. The academic year 2019-2020 will mark the 25th anniversary of TSN activity and while different initiatives to support and enhance science education have come and gone, TSN has persisted being responsive to teacher-need. Linking Dippy celebrations with TSN’s 25th anniversary is a great way to mark this landmark in local and National science education. We hope the project will raise TSN’s visibility to a new level that will benefit its long-term future sustainability.
You can hear more about this story, from the coverage on Mustard TV at the time of the annoucement.