The town comes alive today, Thursday, to celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin – as links are forged with the Pacific islands he visited on his famous expedition.
As part of the Darwin festival, Shrewsbury has developed a tie with the Galapagos Island San Cristobal, which Darwin visited as part of his Beagle voyage.
Town mayor Councillor Anne Chebsey has already exchanged greetings and certificates with her counterpart in San Cristobal.
It is not a formal twinning but recognition of the importance of both locations in the life of Charles Darwin. As part of the association, students from The Priory School and students on San Cristobal will engage in a study project about the famous islands using the internet.
The Priory School project will involve a number of subjects including geography, science and Spanish.
Speaking about the link, Jo Fathers, head of geography at The Priory, said: “We are very excited by this project. Pupils and staff are looking forward to making links with the students on the Galapagos.”
The link has come about through the support of Randal Keynes, a descendant of Charles Darwin and a keen supporter of Shrewsbury’s celebrations of the famous naturalist.
Councillor Anne Chebsey added: “A number of locations have expressed an interest in being associated with Shrewsbury because of our links to Darwin. Rather than a traditional twinning, we are keen to create international links between students to foster a lasting legacy of the bicentenary.”
Events are taking place all over the town to mark the bicentenary with university professors and experts, members of the Darwin family and hundreds of tourists and residents attending talks, exhibitions, dinners and parties.
The official unveiling of the Darwin Waymarkers which form a tourist trail around the town centre takes place outside the library at 10am today, while a Darwin toast and walk will start at noon from the Morris Hall courtyard.
A party has been arranged for Shrewsbury children who share the same birthday as Darwin and a special dinner is taking place at Shrewsbury School tonight.
Charles Darwin was born on this date in 1809, at the Mount. He developed his interest in nature while growing up in the town and this helped him to develop ground-breaking evolutionary theories which he published in his book Origin of Species.
For further information on other Darwin celebrations taking place in the town visit www.discover darwin.co.uk