Explorer Dome was set up by Shaaron Leverment and Ben Brown in 1998 with an aim to make an exciting planetarium visit affordable and accessible for all schools.

After graduation from Bristol University, we both worked at the Bristol Exploratory prior to its closure in 1999.
Dr Mike Coles was the education officer at the time, and the effective, simple but hands-on approach of the centre was inspiring. Our approach to science education is therefore as interactive as possible.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” (Confucius)

After initial advertising, it was mainly through word-of-mouth that our reputation spread.
We did not want to concentrate solely on Space education, but cover as many different topics as possible. Especially popular were shows such as Light and Forces which are difficult to teach in a classroom environment.

By 2002 there were far more schools asking for visits than we could travel to alone. Therefore, we were joined by Katy McDonald and Kevin Hollis - two brilliant science presenters. We bought a second dome and Explorer Dome continued to grow to cope with the demand. We were also particularly proud when Dr Mike Coles joined us with his chemistry shows, presenting under the name of Explorer Dome.

Despite leaving Explorer Dome in 2006, our friends Katy and Kevin are both still involved in ongoing training for new Explorer Dome presenters. Katy has continued in science education and now runs the @Bristol planetarium and Kevin runs 3 Stagecoach schools for performing arts around Bristol.

We now have a team of 10 presenters, each with different skills and areas of expertise. Our excellent presenters keep Explorer Dome alive, strong, innovative and brilliant fun! With their help, since 1998 we have been to schools, colleges, adult education groups, teacher training functions, science festivals, events and museums across the UK and abroad. We have visited over 2000 schools, met over 350 000 children and enjoyed every moment!