Rock Riffs 1

Techniques and tricks of playing lead guitar. Simple solos to shredding.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Basic Bass

Basic techniques for different styles. From single note to slap.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Happy Ever After

Sally Gardner, Nick Lake and Alexia Casale

Sally Gardner and Nick Lake have won major awards for fiction – the Costa and the Printz. They are joined by newcomer Alexia Casale to talk about themes in YA fiction and whether readers need happy endings.

Sally Gardner is a highly acclaimed writer of award winning fiction such as I, Coriander, The Red Necklace and most recently the Costa-winning Maggot Moon, currently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

Alexia Casale’s debut The Bone Dragon is a blend of psychological thriller and fairytale in which the boundaries between fact and fantasy are very fragile.

Nick Lake has just won the prestigious Printz award for In Darkness, also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and has a highly acclaimed new novel out called Hostage Three.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear three extremely talented writers answer questions about their work, and to ask some questions of your own.

Duration 60 mins.

13+ years

Bass And Guitar

How the rhythm section works together.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Kitchen Academy Workshop 20

Join us in making Mini Spanish Omelettes, Welsh Sushi, Giant Chocolate Waffles, Sicilian Chicken and No Bake Cheesecakes. The menu will be rotated between sessions on a daily basis.

13–16 years

Sponsored by The Co-operative Cymru/Wales

National Grid Workshop 1

Powering YOUR Future: Gas Tiny Town

Your chance to plan and design an entire gas network using scale models and expert advice. You’ll need to think about where the gas comes from, how it is moved around, who uses it, and how it is used. Are you up for the challenge?

Supported by DECC and National Grid

National Grid Workshop 2

Powering YOUR Future: The Future Of Energy

Where is your energy going to come from – gas, nuclear, wind, coal, oil, hydro or solar? These are the questions facing some of the best brains in the country right now. This is your chance to see if you can provide the answer. Take part in this hands-on, interactive workshop, which includes quizzes and competitions.

Supported by DECC and National Grid

Melvin Burgess & Anthony McGowan

Melvin Burgess talks to Anthony McGowan about the unusual genesis of The Hit, Melvin’s new book – a tense and violent thriller based on a very interesting premise.

Duration 60 mins.

12+ years

National Grid Workshop 3

Powering YOUR Future: Gas Tiny Town

Your chance to plan and design an entire gas network using scale models and expert advice. You’ll need to think about where the gas comes from, how it is moved around, who uses it, and how it is used. Are you up for the challenge?

Supported by DECC and National Grid

National Grid Workshop 4

Powering YOUR Future: The Future Of Energy

Where is your energy going to come from – gas, nuclear, wind, coal, oil, hydro or solar? These are the questions facing some of the best brains in the country right now. This is your chance to see if you can provide the answer. Take part in this hands-on, interactive workshop, which includes quizzes and competitions.

Supported by DECC and National Grid

Saci Lloyd

Quantum Drop

Writer and activist Saci Lloyd’s acclaimed Carbon Diaries is in development with the BBC. Quantum Drop lurches between a shadowy urban sprawl and a dangerous cyberworld. Which is real?

Duration 45 mins.

13+ years

Electric Drumming & Percussion Workshop

Join this session and start your journey to become a world-class drum-hero.
The rudiments of professional drumming, for beginners and the more experienced player.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Charlie Higson

The Sacrifice

The fourth in the nail-biting series described as ‘Lord Of The Flies With Zombies’ is every bit as tense, bloody and action-packed as fans could wish.

Duration 45 mins.

13+ years

Drums & Bass

How to hold it all together and lock in with the beat, with guest bassist Pedro Kirk.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Question Time For Young Adult Fiction Fans

Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, is joined by Malorie Blackman, Melvin Burgess and Hayley Long to ask and answer all the big questions about YA. Now’s your chance to raise an issue.

Jonathan Douglas will lead a provocative discussion around the idea of whether there are certain books that teenagers ought to read, and certain books they ought not to. He will be joined by Melvin Burgess, whose multiple-award-winning novel JUNK is the seminal novel of teen addition and a modern classic. Melvin continues to attract both praise and blame with each new work, most recently The Hit.

Malorie Blackman, who tackles big themes in her fiction but often from an unexpected viewpoint as with the phenomenally successful Noughts & Crosses series and more recently Boys Don't Cry, a story of teenage fatherhood. Her new novel, Noble Conflict, will be published shortly.

Hayley Long, whose novel What's Up With Jody Barton has readers questioning their assumptions and their attitudes about gender, relationships and sexuality.

Come along, get involved, and ask anything you like about fiction for teenagers and young adults.

Duration 60 mins.

Creating A Band

Working together. Improvised session creating a track with guitar, bass, drums and more.

12–18 years

Hands-on workshops from Cool Fossil Music Foundation

Kitchen Academy Workshop 25

Join us in making Mini Spanish Omelettes, Welsh Sushi, Giant Chocolate Waffles, Sicilian Chicken and No Bake Cheesecakes. The menu will be rotated between sessions on a daily basis.

13–16 years

Sponsored by The Co-operative Cymru/Wales

Royal Shakespeare Company Workshop 3: Romeo And Juliet

Melanie Whitehead leads this participatory workshop exploring key scenes and characters in Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Ideal for GCSE students.

14+ years

Keeper of the Realms: The Dark Army

The second instalment of Marcus Alexander’s action-packed contemporary fantasy adventure starring Charlie Keeper.

Duration 45 mins.

10+ years

Malorie Blackman

The multiple-award-winning creator of the classic YA series Noughts And Crosses is here to give us a preview of Noble Conflict, her powerful new thriller.

Duration 60 mins.

12+ years