THOUSANDS of people will be heading to Bournemouth University for the return of its Festival of Learning next month.

Now in its second year, the week-long festival, which will run from Monday, June 9 to Sunday, June 15, is set to feature more than 150 free activities and events, including interactive workshops, hands-on taster sessions, presentations and seminars run by experts in their field.

More than 4,000 people attended last year’s festival and this year’s event is expected to be even bigger.

Professor John Vinney, vice-chancellor of Bournemouth University, said the festival provided the university with the opportunity to showcase the achievements of its staff.

He said: “All of the festival events are run by BU staff, who deliver world-changing, life-changing research.

“We want to share that knowledge and experience through our workshops, interactive lectures and tours.”

This year’s jam-packed programme includes a variety of workshops and presentations ranging from the history of chickens, children’s animation lessons and the Eat Chocolate and Bond workshop, which explores how we use food to communicate.

Activities relate to a range of themes including food and drink, families and children, tomorrow’s world, technology, sport and business development. Festival of Learning events are open to all, and will take place at the university’s Talbot and Lansdowne campuses, as well as locations across Dorset.

To find out more about the Festival of Learning, or to book onto an event, visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/fol or email fol@bournemouth.ac.uk