There’s a whole host of activities in store at Dudley Zoo & Castle this school summer holiday. Whether you’re a budding zookeeper, an always fascinated history buff, or you just fancy a close-up encounter with your favourite critter, the day-out destination hosts events to suit all tastes.

And, for the first time ever - this month and next - a selection of lifesize sculptures of endangered animals will be joining the regular residents. But will you be able to spot them all?...

Be sure you head to Dudley’s must-visit holiday destination this summer - where you can dive into history, check out amazing examples of architecture, build a sandcastle and meet a penguin or two - all on the same day!

Dudley Zoo & Castle has plenty in store during the school holiday, from amazing animals from around the world, to a fascinating insight into the creatures that live on our very own doorsteps.

This summer, for the first time, the Zoo will be showcasing a trail of lifesize toy-brick sculptures of endangered animals, the biggest of which is an enormous elephant!

Taking the title Wild Bricks and open for the duration of the school summer holiday, the trail provides visitors with an opportunity to learn not only about the animals which are represented but also the sculptures themselves, which have been meticulously built and transported to Dudley Zoo. Visitors who manage to find all of the sculptures could potentially have an extra treat in store;  anyone who completes the trail can add their name into a weekly draw to win fantastic prizes - so keep your eyes peeled…

For visitors who find themselves inspired by the brick engineering skills on display, ‘build packs’ will be available for purchase from the Zoo’s gift shop, providing budding brick builders with the chance to put their own skills to the test.

Dudley Zoo & Castle is offering an ‘early bird’ discount for tickets booked before Friday 17 July. Using the code BRICKS30, visitors can enjoy a 30% discount on their summer holiday tickets, allowing them to see these spectacular creations and explore the Zoo.

The popular venue, which will celebrate its 90th birthday next year, houses over 140 species, including primates, big cats, birds and reptiles, all ready to fascinate and delight animal-loving visitors, whether you’re creepy crawly crazy or an orangutan fan. The resident giraffes and penguins are always a favourite, but the Zoo’s sloth and axolotl habitats have proved a big hit with visitors as well - the latter residing in the Zoo’s Farm Barn, along with spiders, millipedes and stick insects in neighbouring habitats. Unusual animals such as the cassowary - one of the world’s biggest birds - wolverines, and the Carpathian lynx (in a newly refurbished habitat) are also in residence.

For young ‘zookeepers in the making’ or adults who wish they could spend the day working with animals, the Zoo can make their dreams come true courtesy of its Animal Experience packages, which offer up-close interactions with some of the venue’s most popular residents. Whether you dream of feeding a big cat or would love to meet a sloth, the experiences allow visitors to get as close to the animals as the keepers do. Taking between 20 and 30 minutes, and including the cost of admission for two people, the Animal Experiences can make a visit to Dudley Zoo even more extraordinary.

Serious wildlife fans can also become a keeper for the day, an experience that allows them to discover what the job of keeping the animals happy and healthy actually entails. The Little Zoo Keeper experience (for eight to 13-year-olds) and the Adult Zoo Keeper package (14-plus) both include a hands-on experience working with the Zoo staff - and, of course, the chance to meet the animals as you take part in the daily rounds.

This isn’t the only way to see the Zoo’s animals up-close, however. Say hello to the lemurs in their one-acre free-roaming habitat, which Zoo visitors can enter for free, or marvel at the colourful Lorikeets in their own walk-through home - free to enter, with the option to buy nectar to offer as a sweet treat to the beautiful birds.

At the top of the hill sits Dudley Castle - with even more to see and do, including a castle-themed playground and Castle Creatures, which features an indoor walk-through and more critters to discover.

For a quick route to the Castle, visitors can ride the land train, which has wheelchair and buggy storage, or take in the view from the spectacular vintage chair lift, all for free. In fact, once visitors have been admitted to the Zoo, all activities are free of charge - apart from the seasonal face painting and funfair.

For those with an interest in architecture, the Zoo features a series of listed Tecton buildings - designed in the 1930s, when the Zoo opened - by Berthold Lubetkin. Berthold masterminded similar structures in London Zoo, but Dudley boasts the greatest surviving collection of such buildings.

If you’re landlocked in the Midlands this summer, head to the beach at Ow Bin Ya Sands, which, weather permitting, provides buckets, spades, deck chairs and all the fun of the seaside!

Exploring the Zoo does involve an uphill journey, and for those who would prefer not to take the chair lift, scooters, wheelchairs and buggies are available to hire on entry. There are additional details on the website for users of wheelchairs and scooters, outlining the best routes to take and viewpoints to check out in order to see the animals. The Zoo now also features a Changing Places facility.

In addition to the Wild Bricks sculpture trail, the venue’s summer programme includes a series of ‘out of hours’ events and activities. On Friday 7 & Saturday 8 August, the Outdoor Cinema returns to the Courtyard, screening The Goonies and A Nightmare On Elm Street on consecutive evenings, under the stars.

Take part in an after-dark Bat Walk & Talk (scheduled regularly throughout the summer) to find out more about the UK’s native bat species. There are also evening (6.30pm - 8.30pm) Walk & Talk events. These provide participants with the chance to learn more about the history of Dudley Castle, find out about the conservation projects supported by the Zoo, or gain a better understanding of the 12 listed Tecton buildings and the Zoo itself.

If you dare to brave the Castle after dark, there are also regular (and very popular) Ghost Tours to sign up for. Check the website for updates and book as soon as you can -  the tours tend to sell out quickly.

With a range of activities taking place throughout the holiday - and not forgetting that all-important early-bird discount! - Dudley Zoo & Castle is certainly a destination to add to your summer schedule.

Wild Bricks is open at Dudley Zoo & Castle from Saturday 18 July to Monday 31 August. For further information, visit the venue’s website at dudleyzoo.org.uk

By Jessica Clixby