BRAVE children and their families queued to meet a new inhabitant at Colchester Castle.

As part of the castle’s Easter activities programme, children were invited to meet a fire-breathing dragon.

They had the opportunity to find out about mythical beasts by following a trail and could design their own creatures in the craft area.

The children also took part in a special dragon egg hunt and helped decorate a Castle Dragon mural.

A spokesperson for Colchester Council said thousands of children had queued up to meet the dragon.

They said: “Brave adventurers came face to face with Flame the dragon.

“Nearly 2,000 visitors dared to tame Flame’s deafening roar and have their photo taken with the fabulous creature.”

“The family fun continued, with visitors discovering more about mythical beasts by designing their own smoke-breathing creatures and helping to decorate a Castle Dragon mural.”

To see a full list of events taking place in Colchester over the Easter holidays, visit www.visitcolchester.com.