Norfolk and Norwich Hospital children's ward patient Sam Frost(5) comes face to face with the ERTH dinosaurs during the visit by puppeteers Lindsey Chapman and Hal Silvester. Photo by Simon Finlay

Prehistoric beasts have been paying an extra special visit to meet children at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo is currently visiting from Australia for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, and today a leaellynasaura and baby dryosaur puppet from the zoo dropped by to say hello to youngsters at the hospital’s Buxton Ward, the children’s assessment unit and other children’s areas of the hospital.

Emma Jarvis, the arts coordinator at the hospital, said the children - and the adults - enjoyed meeting the friendly creatures from the land that time forgot as they wandered through the hospital.

She said the children were excited and curious to learn about the creatures that inhabited the earth millions of years ago.

“They were friendly dinosaurs and the children thought they were fab,” she said.

“No children were eaten by the dinosaurs during their visit - as far as I know!”

The dinosaurs also visited the hospital on Friday and they are due to return for a third visit tomorrow.

The festival’s artistic director William Galinsky predicted at the start of the 16-day arts extravaganza that the dinosaurs would become “like the rock stars of the festival,” and the prehistoric creatures have been a huge hit as they have toured the county giving public performances and visiting schools.

• Members of Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo will be out and about in Chapelfield Gardens in Norwich as part of the free Festival Feast on Saturday.

The Norfolk and Norwich Festival runs until Saturday.

For more stories about the festival visit www.edp24.co.uk/nnf

For details of festival events and to book tickets visit www.nnfestival.org.uk or call 01603 766400.

• emma.knights@archant.co.uk