Den building, sleeping lions, gorilla fudge and worm charming are just a few of the activities on offer in the Children s Marquee at this year s Exmouth Festival, writes Rachel Poole.

Den building, sleeping lions, gorilla fudge and worm charming are just a few of the activities on offer in the Children's Marquee at this year's Exmouth Festival, writes Rachel Poole.And if that doesn't wet your appetite come and hear some creepy crawlie bug stories, watch a roaring puppet show or have a go at making some jungle music.The activities are free and will be taking place in Manor Gardens, from 10.30am, on Saturday, May 23, to Bank Holiday Monday, May 25.Youth leaders from churches across Exmouth will be running the sessions, which are for children aged three to 11 years old, although children must be accompanied by an adult.The marquee is being hosted by Christians Together in Exmouth (CTE), which represents more than 20 churches in the area.CTE chairman Revd Bill MacKenzie said CTE was delighted to be asked to run the marquee. He said: "The churches run some fantastic youth and children's clubs across Exmouth - in fact, approximately 80 per cent of clubs run for young people in town are organised by the church. "Our youth leaders have come up with a very imaginative programme, which involves story telling, music, cooking, jungle trails and lots of craft, which we know is a particular favourite. "So, if you're not doing anything special on Bank Holiday weekend, come on down with your children and grandchildren and get involved in some junglemania."Sing for Fun with Forever Young Community singing for fun doesn't get much better than this, says Dave McGeorge. You do not have to be a great vocalist to join in a Sing for Fun session. On Tuesday, May 26, from 7pm to 9pm, at Withycombe Raleigh School, Village Road, there will be a two-hour sing for fun session as part of the Exmouth Festival.The sing for fun group is named after the Bob Dylan song Forever Young and was set up in January 2007 by Dave McGeorge. Dave said: "We used to sing with our families at home and thought we would see whether it would work doing it with other people." "Nearly two-and-a-half years later, it has gone from strength to strength. This will be the first time the evening has been held in Exmouth. We usually sing in Exeter on a Monday evening and we thought we would try the Exmouth Festival. "People of all abilities are welcomed, no experience is needed. We sing to backing music with the words projected on the wall. On the evening, every member chooses a backing track from a list of over 170 songs. "We usually sing around 30 songs in the two hours. It is a great mix of music including Abba, the Beatles, Take That and many more. There is also a range of music from pop to show tunes and even Nessun Dorma, when we're feeling brave. The main thing is that it is great fun. There are no rehearsals, no need to read music, no auditions and you don't even have to sing in tune. Most singers are aged from their 20s upwards with the majority being in the 40s to 50s age group."Dave decided to try the Exmouth Festival after the success of last year's Exeter Festival. Tickets cost �3 o