A festival backed by national treasure Sir David Attenborough will feature its very own tyrannosaurus rex mascot.

Rexy the T-Rex will be walking around Lyme Regis Fossil Festival this weekend meeting people and looking to make new friends.

Festival organisers are ressuring all visitors to the popular festival, which takes place in the resort across Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, that Rexy is a friendly T-Rex.

People are invited to come and meet him by the seafront where Rexy will be happy to pose for photos.

The festival starts at 10am on both days and ends at 5 pm on the Saturday and 4.30 pm on the Sunday.

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2023 was saved following a cash boost after it looked likely to be cancelled due to a lack of funding this year.

The rich fossil heritage of the Jurassic Coast will be celebrated with a host of talks, shows, walks, exhibitions and activities.

Festival-goers will be able to learn more about how fossils were formed and what they tell us about life millions of years ago at the family-friendly event  on the seafront.

As part of the festival's show programme, there will be two free street performances taking place over the course of the weekend featuring Lyme Regis's very own Mary Anning with a guest appearance from Charles Darwin. Hear tales of genius and discovery from the lives of two of geology's two brightest stars.

The weekend will also see the launch of ‘Mary Anning’s Thunderbolts’, a new exhibition installed in Lyme Regis museum for 2023. The new exhibition features famous palaeontologists Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, a mysterious basket of belemnites and some extraordinary inkings. It offers an enthralling insight into the palaeontology of cephalopods from the Jurassic period.

Entry to the museum is free for the duration of the Fossil Festival.

A team from The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre will be exhibiting local fossils and casts of big sea dragons and will be providing tips on finding your own fossils. People will even be able to bring along finds to be identified.

Seating at the talks and shows are limited, so it is best to get there as early as possible due to the seating being on a first come, first served basis

For information on performance and talk times, see the festival website www.fossilfestival.com