NEXT weekend the Dean Heritage Centre is opening its doors to locals for free.

For two days (February 27 and 28) visitors from the GL14-GL17 postcode area can discover the history of the Forest of Dean from the Ice Age to the present day in the centre’s five museum galleries; along with exploring a range of other attractions including a reconstructed Forester’s cottage, Victorian schoolroom, charcoal burner’s camp and themed woodland trail featuring the Very Hungry Caterpillar story.

Visitors will need to bring along proof of identification and address to claim their free ticket.

Centre manager, Emma Smith said: "The team welcomes the opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge our community for their continued custom and support. We’re excited to share our events calendar for 2016 and we invite our local community to comment on what the centre means to them."

The Dean Heritage Centre is open from 10am until 4pm with last entry at 3pm. For more information visit www.deanheritagecentre.com