Hello! A Saturday-heavy weekend this one, so if Sunday's your only free day, skip straight to Bin Rat below. Otherwise: a giant cardboard bee, a free author workshop, a summer fair and an outdoor film night. Here's the lot.
This Weekend's Pick
The Great Cardboard Bee Make, Exeter Scrapstore (Saturday)
Exeter Scrapstore are spending Saturday afternoon building a giant collaborative cardboard bee, and kids get stuck in with the making. It's led by James Lake, the Exeter sculptor behind the full-size cardboard furniture made for the city's IKEA opening, who builds most of his work from the Scrapstore's own shelves. Drop-in between 1pm and 4pm at the Newtown Community Centre on Gordon Road.
If you've never been, the Scrapstore itself is worth the trip alone: an Aladdin's cave of a charity warehouse stacked with fabrics, cardboard, yarn and all sorts of reclaimed odds and ends, open Saturdays 11am to 3pm right next door in Belmont Park.
The workshop itself is free (there's a £2 booking fee per ticket), parking's free on site and refreshments are provided. All ages welcome, with under-14s accompanied.
| When | Saturday 8 August, drop-in 1pm to 4pm |
| Where | Newtown Community Centre, Gordon Road, EX1 2DH |
| Cost | Free (£2 booking fee per ticket) |
More Good Stuff
Bin Rat!!!, Rougemont Gardens (Sunday)
The last show of this year's Theatre in the Park season, and it's a family one: a comedy about rubbish and recycling with live music, puppetry and disco dancing, made for ages 4-11. Two performances on Sunday at 11.30am and 2pm, each around 50 minutes, and if the weather turns it moves indoors to Exeter Phoenix.
Tickets are pay what you can from £8 to £16, with a £40 family ticket and babes-in-arms free, plus a £1.50 ticketing charge. Booking's recommended.
| When | Sunday 9 August, 11.30am and 2pm (50 minutes) |
| Where | Rougemont Gardens, EX4 3PA (moves to Exeter Phoenix if wet) |
| Cost | Pay what you can £8 to £16, family ticket £40, plus £1.50 ticketing charge |
A Girl's Guide to Spying with Holly Webb, Waterstones (Saturday)
Children's author Holly Webb is at Waterstones on the High Street on Saturday, 1pm to 2pm, with her new book A Girl's Guide to Spying, a wartime mystery inspired by the real Girl Guides who worked as messengers for MI5. The workshop's an hour of detective work and code-cracking to match.
Completely free, no booking needed, just turn up. Best for the 7-11 end.
| When | Saturday 8 August, 1pm to 2pm |
| Where | Waterstones, 252 High Street, EX4 3PZ |
| Cost | Free, no booking needed |
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Buckfast Abbey Summer Fair (Saturday only)
Worth the drive down the A38, about 30 minutes from Exeter. The abbey's summer fair runs Saturday 10am to 5pm with circus skills workshops, inflatables, face painting and a LEGO zone for the kids, plus craft stalls, Devon produce and food from the Monks' Kitchen.
Entry's free and parking's £6 per car. One to know: the main car park is an 8-minute walk on a stony uphill path, so with a pushchair use the signed drop-off point instead.
| When | Saturday 8 August only, 10am to 5pm |
| Where | Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh TQ11 0EE (about 30 minutes via the A38) |
| Cost | Free entry, parking £6 per car |
One free thing
Film in the Park: Wonka, Newcombes Meadow, Crediton (Saturday)
Crediton's summer arts festival is showing Wonka outdoors on Saturday evening, and it's free. Food stalls open from 4pm and the film starts at 6pm, so bring a blanket and something warm for when the sun drops.
Rated PG, about 20 minutes from Exeter.
| When | Saturday 8 August, food from 4pm, film at 6pm |
| Where | Newcombes Meadow, Crediton (about 20 minutes) |
| Cost | Free |
That's it for this week. If you think something should have been on the list, or you know a good local spot that hasn't had a mention yet, hit reply. It comes straight to the inbox. Have a good weekend.
Details change. Check each venue's website before setting off, especially for timed entry or one-off events.
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