KIDS and grown-ups stepped into the world of the weird and the wonderful on Wednesday as the Richard Jefferies Museum hosted a fun-filled activity day.

Weird Wednesday saw families descend on the Marlborough Road museum to enjoy an afternoon of dancing and crafting as part of a month-long exhibition called Weird Wiltshire.

More than 40 artists from all across the county have taken part in the exhibition, which celebrates the myths and folklore of Wiltshire, and is to close on April 29.

On Wednesday kids got the chance to have their faces painted, build dens and marvel at the telling of stories of witchcraft and wizardry.

Jaime Bullock, the gallery’s manager and curator, said “We had a really good response from the public. We sold so many pieces and everyone seemed to have a great time.

“We organised Weird Wednesday in conjunction with the exhibition because we wanted to attract more families and hold a fun day for the kids.”

Around 180 people turned up throughout the day, which resulted in the museum buzzing with activity all afternoon.

People roamed the grounds in elaborate fancy dress, which really added to the atmosphere and gave the kids the impression they had literally stepped into the past.

Speaking of the exhibition as a whole, which was launched on April 1, Jaime said: “It has been a brilliant exhibition, easily the most successful. There have been so many diverse and wonderful pieces of art on display.

“We have had exhibitions in the museum before, but now we have fully opened up the gallery and it’s an on-going, workable space.

“We are really looking forward to the rest of the month, but there’s not an awful lot of time left if people still want to see the exhibition.”

One of the things of which Jaime was most proud was the chance it had given local artists to showcase their work.

She said: “There is so much talent in Swindon, whether it’s established artists or people who have never exhibited their work before.”

Weird Wiltshire saw a wide variety of art forms from photography, collage and textiles to mosaic, print making, painting, drawing and ceramics, all depicting the mystical history of Wiltshire.

If anybody wishes to exhibit their work at the Richard Jefferies Museum in future, Jaime has advised them to email bullock.jaime@googlemail.com or call her on 07718217280.

For more information on the museum, log on to www.richardjefferies.org.