AMAZING cutting-edge technology and fascinating displays entertained hundreds of children who visited a brand new science festival.

Families enjoyed a day full of futuristic exhibits and inspirational talks at the Steam Museum as the first Tomorrow festival began – it continues today.

Plus, the array of top tech and superb science filling the Great Western Hall gave grown-ups a chance to learn about eco-friendly initiatives and innovative ideas first-hand from scientists and engineers.

New Elements director Rod Hebden organised the festival with help from Swindon Borough Council, Bravedog, the UK Research and Innovation Group, Business West, Steam, and many volunteers.

He said: “I didn’t know what to expect and just wanted to start small then grow bit by bit – but straight away it became bigger than I’d hoped.

“We were inundated with offers of help and requests to join the festival, I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response.

“This is about showing people all the cool stuff you can do with science. It gives them a better understanding of what’s out there and encourages kids to get interested and inspired by technology

“The mix of people there is brilliant – small companies and community groups from Swindon have really benefited from being in the same room as major corporations like Intel.”

Virtual reality headsets, a planetarium, a Moon lander workshop and an augmented reality sandbox that transforms into a mountainous landscape were among the highlights of the festival.

It attracted university boffins from Oxford, Bristol and Bath as well as tech enthusiasts closer to home from the Museum of Computing and Swindon Makerspace.

Makerspace director Scott Jordan said: “It’s been great, I hope to see this every year. It’s a fantastic way of promoting science and the environment and an ideal way to make contacts with other like-minded people.

“We have a 3D printer, laser cutters and an electronic workbench set up to show people what you can make and build, it’s been fun to spread the word.”

Museum of Computing curator Simon Webb said: “We’ve been absolutely blown away by the quality of the stands this festival has attracted and I desperately hope it continues, it’s a fantastic event.

“We have examples of our computing club for children where we teach kids as young as five programming and coding. These are crucial subjects and the sooner you get people enthused about them, the better. There’s always a lovely moment when the children realise that they can make the computer do whatever they want and the only limit is their imagination.”