A popular Isle of Wight attraction is holding a community event this weekend (Saturday, November 16 and 17), where entry is just £1.

Dinosaur Isle, on Culver Parade in Sandown, will hold Blast from the Past, an event that brings together heritage, natural history and archaeological groups from across the Island. 

The event runs from 10am to 4pm, with admission costing £1 and parking free of charge.

Local heritage exhibitors this year include the Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum, Dimbola Museum, and the Isle of Wight Council Heritage Service.

The Isle of Wight Council Heritage Service operates Dinosaur Isle, Newport Guildhall Museum, Cowes Maritime Museum and Newport Roman Villa.

Local archaeologists will also be on hand, as well as a team from Winchester Science Centre, members of the Isle of Wight Metal Detecting Club and tour operators Wight Coast Fossils and Dinosaur Expeditions.

Dr Jerry Hooker from the Natural History Museum and local palaeontologists will be on hand to identify finds and let visitors know how to take care of their fossils.

The Isle of Wight has a rich Jurassic history, with the most complete dinosaur skeleton in over a century in the UK being found in the cliffs of Compton Bay in 2013.

Nick Chase, who died in 2019, made the discovery and Jeremy Lockwood, a retired GP and University of Portsmouth PhD student, analysed the skeleton's 149 different bones.

Jeremy determined that the skeleton represented a new genus and species, naming it Comptonatus chasei in tribute to Nick.

Jeremy also named the dinosaur Comptonatus after Compton Bay. ‘Tonatus’ is a Latin word meaning ‘thunderous’.

Jeremy said: “Despite Nick's many wonderful discoveries over the years, including the most complete Iguanodon skull ever found in Britain, this is the first dinosaur to be named after him.”

The dinosaur has been added to the collections at the Dinosaur Isle Museum and the paper has been published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.