Welcome Back events will take place at Mansfield Museum on Saturday, 26 June and Saturday, 3 July, from 11am to 1pm, as it opens for the first time in more than a year.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance at https://www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk.

As well as Global Golf, an indoor crazy golf course where every hole is themed around a different country, visitors will also be able to view the interactive Made in Mansfield exhibition, which celebrates the district’s industrial past. There’s also the XplorActive activity trail, featuring heritage and recycling, plus art galleries and family activities. The gift shop remains closed.

Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for regeneration and growth, said: “We know how much the general public has missed the museum and indeed how much our museum staff have missed the public.

“A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes to put all the necessary measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety. These events will help us to check that it all runs like clockwork.

“We are very excited to welcome people back and this is a great opportunity to have some family fun in our much-loved museum.”

During the museum’s temporary closure, the team has been busy taking its Forgotten Frames exhibition to assisted living residential homes as part of its community projects. Plans are also underway for Creative Women Together, a two-year project aimed at empowering local vulnerable or at risk women to take positive control of their lives.

The museum has also provided a range of virtual health and wellbeing activities in the school holidays.

Although the museum is not yet back to its pre-Covid opening hours, feedback from the test events will be used to plan other bookable events to be held during the school summer holidays in August.

Covid-19 safety measures will be in place at the Welcome Back events and must be followed. Full details are available on booking. Anyone who turns up without a pre-booked place will be unable to attend.