They haven't been here for millions of years, but now it seems that dinosaurs can't keep away from Norwich.

Just weeks after the departure of Dippy following his stint at the Cathedral comes news of some more visitors from a far earlier era.

The organisers of the Jurassic Live tour have announced it will be visiting the city this summer.

The tour involves a 90-minute interactive stage production featuring huge model dinosaurs, which are controlled by performers inside them.

The dinosaurs involved include a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Stegosaurus, a Velociraptor and an Apatosaurus.

Jurassic Live is run by events organiser Sam Foulkes, from Wrexham in north Wales. The dinosaurs tour cities across the country and a brand new show has been created for 2022.

Mr Foulkes said: "It is split into two 45-minute acts and there will be full audience participation with people up on stage and the audience singing and dancing.

"There will also be competitions to feed the dinosaurs live on stage.

"The story follows a baby dinosaur going missing and rangers hunting for him.

"In Norwich we are putting in a full theatre set up and it will be all seated, tickets are selling extremely well so far."

Shows are being staged at the UEA Sportspark on the weekend of August 13 and 14. There will be three Jurassic Live performances each day at 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. The tour is aimed at families with children aged two to nine.

Mr Foulkes added: "Dinosaurs are a big trend at the moment, a few years ago it was gin and prosecco, and it is all about capturing events at the right time."

The creatures have certainly been enjoying a period in the spotlight in Norwich.

The Natural History Museum's world famous Diplodocus cast - Dippy - was at Norwich Cathedral from July to October last year, attracting more than 200,000 visitors.

And the GoGoDiscover T.Rex trail, run by charity Break, was also a hit with dinosaur sculptures across the city last summer. The trail is returning later this year, with extra T Rexes, as well as steppe mammoths.

Tickets for Jurassic Live cost £12.50 for children and £18 for adults (both plus booking fee) at jurassic-live.co.uk


T Rex revival

The GoGoDiscover T-Rex Trail was launched in 2021 by charity Break, which supports young people on the edge of, in or leaving care, in partnership with Wild at Art to complement Dippy's visit to the city.

It followed the success of GoGoGorillas in 2013, GoGoDragons in 2015 and GoGoHares in 2018 and last year's trail featured 21 Tyrannosaurus Rex sculptures across the city centre.

But the dinosaurs have not disappeared into extinction as GoGoDiscover returns in June with even more sculptures.

There will also be the addition of steppe mammoth sculptures across the county - a deliberate nod to Norfolk's Deep History Coast, where mammoth finds have been discovered.