OVER 1,000 people visited Malvern Theatres on Saturday to find out about the frontiers of science and technology.

The theatre complex was hosting the Malvern Festival of Innovation's family day, aimed at spreading the word about the successes of science and engineering and encouraging young people towards technological careers.

Organisations such as the Institute of Physics, the Royal Microscopical Society and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers set up stalls in the theatre foyer, with displays, interactive experiments and more to fascinate passers-by.

Saturday's family day was the climax of the festival, which also included a business innovation day, a cyber-security showcase and a day devoted to advanced engineering and manufacturing.

There was also a successful day for local schools at the Three Counties Showground, entitled Next Generation Innovators, where youngsters were able to try their hands at computers, chemistry, the science of ice-cream and much more.

Dr Adrian Burden, the festival's founder, said: "This was a great success with over 300 school pupils from across the three counties attending."

Among the keynote speakers on Saturday were the Science Museum's inventor-in-residence Mark Champkins talking about the importance of innovation, and Dr Quentin Cooper discussing the public image of scientists.

Dr Burden said: "Mark gave a great presentation of insights into being creative, what it is like to work at the Science Museum and his experience on Dragon's Den.

"Quentin then gave a humorous and educational talk about the image of scientists through the ages and how we might change the stereotypes to encourage more to venture into a career of science and technology."