THE long school summer holidays are with us along with the daily challenge for parents of finding something to keep the children entertained - but there is plenty going on at Skipton Town Hall.

Newly refurbished, the town hall is a hive of activity over August and into early September with both paid for, and free, family-friendly events.

In addition, the transformed Craven Museum and Gallery and its fascinating collections, is open every day from Monday to Saturday, with free admission.

There are interactive activities to enjoy and two days a week there are ‘object handling sessions’.

Children will be able to make things in craft sessions, learn to play air guitar, watch some great films and go along to a family-friendly version of Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish Play’.

On Mondays, young people from 10 to 18 years old can join the town hall art club where they will be able to try out different art and craft techniques, and make new friends at the same time.

There is something different each week, including mono printing and collage making from still life, pompom festival headwear and customising clothes.

On Tuesdays and Saturdays, children and families can get ‘up close’ with items from the museum collection at object handling sessions.

They will also be able to visit Elbolton Cave through a Virtual Reality (VR) experience. Elbolton Cave, near the hamlet of Thorpe, Burnsall, was excavated around 100 years ago.

Archaeologists found prehistoric skeletons and pottery which are now part of the collections of the museum.

On Wednesdays, the museum also plays host to the ever-popular make and take, free craft workshops.

And on Fridays, there is the young archaeologist club or museum workshops, including looking at the history of food in Craven.

On August 11, interactive theatre Sense-O-Matic brings a delicious delicious burst of life to science with the assistance of two Victorian female scientists.

Aimed at young children, from five to 12 years old, families will be taken on a journey through the senses as they help Anne and Lottie fix the Sense-O-Matic machine.

The pair will sniff out groundbreaking experiments and will be looking for assistance from their audience to do so.

So, get ready for a show full of laughter, engagement and using the human body in a brand new way.

There will be two paid-for performances, at 11am and at 2pm.

On Thursday, August 18, there will a fun showing of the classic Pixar animated film Up.

Before the film, children will be invited to build their own home out of cardboard.

Up tells the story of a grumpy, elderly man who attaches balloons to his house and escapes the builders who want to demolish his home - along with a young scout who mistakenly hitches a ride.

It starts at 10am with the film screened at 11.15am, children will be able to watch from bean bags and there will be refreshments from the Hub Bar, including ice-cream and popcorn.

Another special for Thursday mornings will be The Scottish Play by Bard in The Yard.

A paid for event, families are invited to join in the immersive theatre experience.

William Shakespeare is stuck. Like, really stuck. Blank parchment stuck. He is trying to write a new masterpiece, and he has the weight of his company’s eager return to the stage on his shoulders.

What’s more, Shakespeare has been sent to Scotland to write a masterpiece, but apart from meeting a witch and penning a rough draft of a speech about a dagger, he’s got nothing.

The King will have his head on a stick if Will dares show his quill in London without a Scottish play.

Rounding off the special Thursdays will be another workshop and film event on September 1.

School of Rock and air guitar workshop, a paid-for event, promises to get youngsters prepared for heading back to school.

School of Rock tells the story of overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn - played by Jack Black.

He gets thrown out of his band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolises and emulates – much to the consternation of the uptight principal, played by Joan Cusack.

As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock ‘n’ roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local Battle of the Bands.

For full details about events at the town hall this summer, go to: www.skiptontownhall.co.uk