Welcome to Nick’s Horrible Diary for 2015 – so what horrible ghastly gruesome goings-on will he be getting up to this year? Well, there’s no use asking me – all the answers are on this page!
JANUARY
Nick works on the new and exciting 2016 Horrible Science Annual – yes – Nick thinks it’s already the end of the year and it hasn’t even started yet!
Friday 23 January – Nick Arnold at the King’s School, Chester to open their new library. MESSAGE FROM NICK: What a great start to the year for the King’s School and for me! I was invited to open the new LEARNING CENTRE for the JUNIOR SCHOOL and what an occasion it was! Thanks to all of you for making it such a wonderful day and especially the marvellous Mr Mason!
FEBRUARY
Nick is doing something exciting but it’s top-secret at the moment. Of course as soon as it isn’t top secret you can read all about it here so come back soon! Hey, don’t come back until you’ve read the rest of this page!
MARCH
Tuesday 3 March – Wednesday 4 March – Nick Arnold at Newquay Tretherras and Hayle Secondary School in Cornwall. MESSAGE FROM NICK: I had a wonderful Cornish welcome at both schools and a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to Louise and Alwyn the librarians at the schools and to Laina and Morgan, our “tour guides” at Newquay Tretherras!
Thursday 5 March – Nick Arnold at Holy Trinity School, Guildford for World Book Day. MESSAGE FROM NICK: WOW – you’re my LOUDEST audience so far this year! Congratulations all the members of the Creative Writing After School Club and to Geraldine for running it!
Wednesday 18th – Thursday 19th March – Nick Arnold at TASIS, Thorpe, Surrey. MESSAGE FROM NICK: TASIS is a five star school with amazing teachers and students plus one totally amazing librarian. Thanks to one and all for making us feel so welcome!
Friday 20th March – Nick Arnold at St. Columba’s College, St. Albans. MESSAGE FROM NICK: My visit was the day of the eclipse – the students didn’t see much of the eclipse but they did see a lot of Horrible Science! This is a great school and everyone had a wonderful time!
Tuesday 24th March – Nick Arnold at UWC Maastricht, Netherlands. MESSAGE FROM NICK: This is a wonderful caring school with friendly staff and students from all over the world and even a “moat” with swans and geese. Thank you one and all for a lovely Horrible Day!
Wednesday 25th March – Thursday 26th March – Nick Arnold at Afnorth International School, Netherlands. MESSAGE FROM NICK: This is the first school I have visited with lots of head teachers! They were all friendly and I especially want to thank Cindy and her family for being so wonderful and all of you who enjoyed the Horrible Science and Heroes of History Shows. Happy Reading guys!
APRIL Nick gets on with all the writing he didn’t get a chance to do in March.
MAY
Tuesday 5th May – Nick Arnold at St Breward School MESSAGE FROM NICK: Your school is “lovely-friendly-welcoming-relaxing”. That’s a new word I made up just for you! and Tintagel School, Cornwall. MESSAGE FROM NICK: Wow – you’re my perfect audience – hope you had as much FUNNNN as I did! Er – Humble Apologies to Ms Lambert. I got your name wrong ALL AFTERNOON – oh well, just blame your mad visiting author (mad, crazy laughter)!
Wednesday 6th May – Nick Arnold at Camelford School MESSAGE FROM NICK: I reckon everyone had a PERFECTLY HORRIBLY FUN time. So sorry about the Great Book Shortage – hopefully Horrible Science books are winging their way to your school! Otterham School, Cornwall – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Visiting your school is just like visiting a BIG FRIENDLY FAMILY! Many apologies for running out of books and I’m so grateful to your teachers for sorting everything out!
Sunday 10th May – Nick Arnold leads a history walk for the Battlefields Trust in Northam, Devon – NICK SAYS: Why do I love history? Well, there’s a great future in the past!
JUNE
Thursday 4th June – Nick Arnold at Jersey Library, St Helier, Jersey – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Jersey Library is a welcoming. relaxing place to visit and the staff make it even better! A specially enormously EAR-SPLITTING THANK YOU to Cathy for driving us around! If you saw me at the Library do come back for the Summer Reading Challenge cos’ it’s going to be AWESOME!
Friday 5th June – Nick Arnold at Victoria College, Jersey – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Hi-ya to all you Horrible Scientists who enjoyed my talks! Your school is AMAZING I mean, does it have ghosts and secret rooms? It looks like it does! I had bucket-loads of fun! An ever-so polite thank you to Mrs Harrison for her legendary yummy cakes!
Monday 8th to Wednesday 10th June – Nick Arnold at Le Rocquier School, Jersey – MESSAGE FROM NICK: 1st thing to say – if you had a HORRIBLY GOOD TIME during my visit it’s all THANKS to Mrs Mabbs. She worked her socks off to make sure everything went to plan! Then an equally ENORMOUS squishy THANK YOU to your teachers and above all to YOU, THE AUDIENCE – and that includes all you Horrible Scientist Year 6’s from the visiting schools too! It was FUN-TASTIC to meet you!!!!
Saturday 13th June – Nick Arnold’s HORRIBLE SCIENCE BEST BITS SHOW at the Charles Causley Festival, Launceston, Cornwall – Launceston Town Hall – MESSAGE FROM NICK: I’m not sure who most HORRIBLE FUN – me or the AWESOME audience? I think it was about equal – THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING PART OF SUCH A GREAT AFTERNOON!
Tuesday 30th June – Nick Arnold at the Norfolk Children’s’ Book Festival, Norwich – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Picture the scene – me in a HUGE HOT HAPPY TENT with 650 super-shouting school students. SO WHO SHOUTED LOUDEST? Need you ask? It was ME! Thanks to the super organizers of this super event!
JULY
Thursday 9th July – Nick Arnold at King Edward’s School, Birmingham (Camp Hill and Edgbaston) – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Two lovely schools in one day! It was a MEGA DOUBLE-PLUS-GOOD DAY meeting all you Horrible Scientist year 7’s at Camp Hill and guests from nearby primary schools. TA VERY MUCH for being such a lovely audience! Then it was on to KES for an after-school show with visiting primary students and parents in an amazing auditorium! It was GREAT to meet you all too!
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 13th September – Remember back in February I said I was up to something REALLY SECRET? NOW I CAN TELL YOU! TUNE IN AT 9 AM FOR THE FIRST EPISODE OF THE HORRIBLE SCIENCE TV SHOW – IT’S ON SUNDAYS ON ITV AND CITV (BOTH UK CHANNELS). YOU CAN WATCH IT AGAIN ON TUESDAYS AT 5 PM ON CITV. TV HAS NEVER BEEN SO HORRIBLE (AND HORRIBLY GOOD!!!!) NICK HAS BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS ADVISING ON THE SCRIPTS AND IDEAS FOR THE SHOW BUT DIDN’T TELL ANYONE – NOT EVEN HIS MUM! (SORRY MUM!)
Friday 25th September – Nick Arnold’s HORRIBLE SCIENCE SHOW at Wakefield Lit Fest, Public Event at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Thanks for a lovely warm Wakefield WELCOME! It was great to meet you all for a HORRIBLY GREAT show!
OCTOBER
Tuesday 13th October – Nick Arnold at Sinclair House School, Fulham, London – MESSAGE FROM NICK: This is a lovely school in one of these parts of London that feels like a big village. Thanks for a SUPER-SINCLAIR welcome and special thanks to those of you who gave me cards. They’re in my work room now!
Thursday 15th October – Nick Arnold presents two school events at The Festival of Story-telling, University of Worcester – MESSAGE FROM NICK: Wow – I got to meet some amazing Worcester people and wander round a very special town. And everyone LURVED the shows too! And you helped me find my prized water pistol shaped like a toilet after a long walk round the racecourse. Long story!
Friday 16th October – Nick Arnold talks about history for the Devonshire Association, Bideford – MESSAGE FROM NICK: I’ve just started doing history talks and I think they’re best talks in history. (OK, so I’m biased!)
NOVEMBER
Thursday 5th November – Nick Arnold at Colston’s School, Bristol – MESSAGE FROM NICK: I was right – 5th November did go with a BANG! and lots of BIG BIG LAUGHS – HUGE THANKS to all of you in Years 7 and 8 and Ms Boyce for being so wonderful and Dr Morse for helping me out with the eyeball and spitting cobra and for being wonderful too.
Friday 20th November – Nick Arnold at Greet Primary School, Birmingham – MESSAGE FROM NICK: I had a GREEEEEET DAY at GREET PRIMARY SCHOOL! Thanks for being an AMAZING AUDIENCE and a double helping of THANKS for all your EPIC CLEVER QUESTIONS!
Monday 23rd November – Nick Arnold at Colston’s Lower School, Bristol – MESSAGE FROM NICK: It was back to Colston’s today and I had a WONDERFUL TIME speaking to Years 4, 5 and 6. You were loud, smart and FUN to talk to. And then I met Years 1 and 2 and they were even louder but just as much fun! THANKS SO MUCH for inviting me to your school!
DECEMBER
Friday 4th December – Nick Arnold at Appledore Library, Devon. First showing of Welcome to Appledore – a film written by Nick Arnold, directed by Jonathan Downes and produced by Jim Jackson. It’s designed to support the Library by attracting more visitors. NICK SAYS: This is a magical film about a magical place where dreams come true and it’s going to be shown in the most amazing small library in the world.
COMING UP FOR 2016 – THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HORRIBLE SCIENCE – ER, SO HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? WATCH THIS SPACE FOR NEWS OF EXCITING EVENTS AND BRILLIANT BOOKS!
PS Some people have asked – so how come Horrible Science is 20 years old and Nick Arnold doesn’t look old? Nick Arnold has refused to comment and is currently hiding inside his TOP SECRET body regeneration machine.
