In the summer of 2019, we attempted to raise public awareness of the microbial world in, on and around us, and of the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

We were allowed to convert a vacant retail unit (actually a former ‘Clarks’ shoe shop) in the heart of Wales’s busiest shopping centre, St David's Dewi Sant in Cardiff, into an interactive and professionally designed microbiology ‘laboratory’.

St David's Dewi Sant is visited by approx. 38 million people per year, which is a bit more than 100,000 per day. The Welsh clearly love to shop! By accessing this natural audience, we managed to take ‘Science to the City’, with access for people from all walks of life.

We were especially lucky as our shop turned out to be pefectly well placed between attractive stores like Apple and John Lewis on one side and a range of family-friendly restaurants like Nando’s, Pizza Express and TGI Fridays on the other side. We couldn’t have asked for a better location!

Over the course of 14 days, a total of 6,566 visitors engaged with our scientists and immersive microscopy workshops, fun-fayre games demonstrating the evolution of antibiotic resistance, and the chance to swab themselves and ‘grow their own microbes’.

A sticker challenge created 1,626 ‘Antibiotic Resistance Champions’ who spread the message across 200 primary and secondary schools throughout Wales, and beyond.

Click on the stickers below to find out more about the different parts of our pop-up shop experience.

In 2018, we already ran a Superbugs-themed ‘Out of Hours’ event at Techniquest, a hands-on science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay. This experience laid the foundation for the pop-up science shop at St David's Dewi Sant.

In 2023, colleagues in Exeter ran a Superbugs pop-up shop at Maketank in the heart of Exeter, attracting almost 1,000 visitors over a busy weekend! And later that year, we also visited Swansea Central Library and participated in the Broadlands Fun Day in Bridgend.