Match tickets and a signed team shirt will be up for grabs this weekend as Hull FC mark the busiest weekend in the Rugby League calendar – and a big anniversary in the club’s own history – with some home and away Easter celebrations.

Friday is the centenary of Hull FC’s first ever Rugby League Challenge Cup win, and falls amid a packed schedule of activities over the extended Bank Holiday weekend.

The action kicks off with Thursday night’s derby match at Hull Kingston Rovers and will conclude on Easter Monday with a family fun day in West Park to coincide with the home game against London Broncos.

In between, the Airlie Bird mascot will be one of the stars of the show at Edwardian Easter, leading the hunt for the egg symbols which will be displayed in locations around the Old Town from Whitefriargate all the way to the Hull and East Riding and Streetlife Museums.in High Street.

The flashback to the years leading up to the First World War could hardly be more appropriate for the Airlie Birds. It was on April 18, 1914 that the team beat Wakefield Trinity 6–0 at Thrum Hall, Halifax, to win their first Challenge Cup.

James Clark, the club’s Head of Communications, Media and Marketing, said: “Easter is the big time for Rugby League with two matches including the derby game and there’s also a special anniversary for Hull FC.

“We saw Edwardian Easter as a great opportunity to promote our Fanbassador scheme, which is already supported by 57 schools and clubs in Hull and East Yorkshire.

“We’re sponsoring the Easter egg trail with prizes of a giant chocolate egg and a signed shirt, and everyone who takes part will have a chance to win some exclusive family ticket offers. On Monday there will be a family fun day in West Park and a mascot race at half time in our match against London Broncos.”

There will be 15 cardboard Easter egg symbols in shops, pubs and other premises. Each one carries a letter and when assembled correctly the eggs spell out a seasonal message. The prizes will be awarded in the Streetlife Museum at 3.30pm on Saturday.

Other attractions at Edwardian Easter, which will run from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, will include traditional entertainment such as a helter skelter and Punch and Judy, with a vintage bus operating between the transport interchange and the Museums Quarter from 9.45am.

High Street will be closed to traffic during the event, enabling more than 25 stallholders to set up in the street. Bramham and Maiyaa Arram, grandchildren of stallholder Debbie Carroll, met the Airlie Bird as they visited the Museums Quarter for a sneak preview of the event.

The host for the day will be the Honourable Florence Sparks, a fictional character played by Naomi Broadhead, a member of the Heritage Learning team who works on presentations and performances for school visits to Hull Museums.

Naomi, who also played the character of a young Queen Victoria at the Christmas event, said: “Florence is the lady in charge of the Easter celebration, and the story line is that she is putting on a village fete and fair for her people, providing them with a lot of traditional entertainment and activities on the lawn outside the museum.”

The event has been organised by HullBID in partnership with Heritage Learning and Hull Museums with the aim of building on the hugely successful Victorian Christmas festival last November, when a crowd estimated at 10,000 flocked to enjoy the attractions in High Street and Scale Lane.

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “Edwardian Easter promises to be a terrific day out with a lot of free, family activities.

“The Easter egg hunt is a great way to get businesses directly involved in the fun and we are very grateful to Hull FC for their support. It’s a remarkable coincidence that Heritage Learning and Hull Museums are turning back the clock on the centenary of Hull FC’s first Challenge Cup Final win. Hopefully this year will bring Hull City’s first FA Cup Final win!”

For full details of Edwardian Easter visit: http://www.heritage-learning.com/get-involved-easter-fete/

To find out more about the Hull FC Fanbassador scheme visit: www.fanbassadors.co.uk

Pictured: the Airlie Bird with 11-year-old Bramham Arram and his sister Maiyaa (10) in High Street, Hull, where the Edwardian Easter event will take place on Saturday.