Young scientists held history in their hands last week when they had the chance to study a collection of ancient fossils.

The Hingham Science Club, made-up of pupils from Hingham Primary School, were able to look at 25 fossils borrowed from the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences in Cambridge.

The collection charts 500 million years of the planet's past with extinct creatures such as trilobites and ammonites, along with less exotic specimens including corals and tree-ferns.

Teachers hoped the hands-on experience would bring a new dimension to the children's understanding of evolutionary history and bring to life things which are normally only read in books or seen on television.

Martin Nunn, one of the Science Club leaders, said: 'It is very exciting to pick up a rock and know you are looking at the remains of a creature that existed before the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

'The look of wonder in the children's eyes is a real pleasure to behold.'

The Science Club, which is in its second year, is open to pupils in Years 5 and 6 and is run by parents and school governors with science backgrounds.

Other activities youngsters have enjoyed include launching rockets and investigating fake crime scenes using forensic tools.