More people visited Mansfield Museum this summer than in any year since 2007.

In that year the museum mounted a blockbuster exhibition called Golden Sands, when 20 tons of sand were used to convert an entire gallery into an indoor beach — a one-off event that has become commonplace in town squares up and down the county.

Apart from that unique occasion, 2019 and 7,108 visitors stands as the museum’s best-ever summer attendance figure.

Many were drawn by the regular ArtBeat! hands-on craft sessions; some by Lego or board games days; others by Sublime Science workshops where they got to make their very own pot of slime.

Man On The Moon, Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society’s exhibition celebrating the half-centenary of the Moon landing, was also a big draw. Man On The Moon runs until 5th October.

100 Years of Mansfield, The Old Mansfield Society’s display of a century’s worth of archived Mansfield material, including images, videos and objects, has been extended way beyond its original spring closure date due to its popularity — but the exhibition will end on Saturday, 12th October.

A new exhibition will celebrate the careers of local sidecar champions the Birchall Brothers.

The autumn half-term holiday will feature sport and nature-themed art activities at the museum, where there is also a Where’s Wally? The Big Museum Hunt attraction.

For more information visit www.mansfield.gov.uk/museum