Mammoth Day Celebrations set for 27th and 28th September 2014

Ilford celebrates the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Ilford Mammoth this year!

Image of Ilford Mammoth at Natural History Museum.

Excavations led by Sir Antonio Brady in 1864, led to the discovery of bones belonging to prehistoric Steppe Mammoths, lions, elephants, giant deer and other ancient mammals.  A skull now named "Ilford Mammoth" now resides at the Natural History Museum.  It is hoped that a replica will be installed somewhere in Ilford Town Centre to coincide with our event.

The dates set for the the borough celebration are 27th -28th September 2014, and local history groups will be joined by wider more established groups, to promote Natural and Life Sciences locally. The event is funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Event:       Mammoth Steppes Festival
Location:    Ilford Town Hall steps
Date:       27th and 28th September 2014
Times:      12:00 - 18:00
Activities: International Food Stalls, Music, Dance, Drama, Singing, Bouncy Castle, Funfair,  There will also be a Natural Science Activities including Quizzes, Treasure hunt, Badge Making, Mammoth making, Recycled Mammoth badge making, Pseudo archaeological digs, art workshops and much more.
Price:         All activities will be free.

In the run up to the event the EIBP will be holding a series of art workshops that will lead to a mammoth exhibition at Redridge Central Library, including 3D maps of Ice Age Ilford and Stone Age Ilford.  Some art boards will be placed across certain parks across the Borough.  For further details please contact the EIBP using the following details:

Tel: 020 8514 0861 or Email: eibp@hotmail.co.uk

Event Organiser Wilson Chowdhry said;

"Few people in Redbridge are knowledgeable on the great prehistory that emanates from our borough.  When Mammoths once roamed Ilford the area was a beautiful Savannah and although we are now far removed from this idyllic landscape, the significance of the finds is best recognised in the fact that the Ilford Mammoth is the only complete mammoth skull ever discovered in Britain. "

We hope that the event and our project will create a lasting desire to learn more about the Natural sciences, Earth sciences, Life sciences and our colourful local history.  Moreover, we hope the replica of the mammoth skull will draw international visitors to our borough and create a stronger sense of local pride."

Partner Groups include:

British Pakistani Christian Association London Geodiversity Partnership
Geologists' Association
Ilford Mammoth Project
Redbridge Museum
Natural History Museum
Essex Field Club
Ilford Historical Society
Youth Offender Team
Redbridge Enterprise

·        

This project has been co-funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as part of the BIS Science and Society Community Challenge Grant Scheme’.

A spokesperson said;

‘The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is pleased to support this project which takes science into a community setting. It is our hope as a result of the audience being engaged with this project that they will feel better informed about science issues affecting them and be inspired to be involved further in the future’.