Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World is running a series of workshops this summer for arachnophobes – or in other words, people who have a fear of spiders!

Kev Thom, the real-life spiderman of Butterfly and Insect World, will be unveiling his creepiest arsenal of arachnids in an attempt to get people to realise that these hairy little creatures really are completely harmless.

Kev says: “A lot of people with spider phobia often mistake huge five-inches wide deadly specimens for ones that are actually quite tiny and totally harmless – if only they would take off their frightened hat and reach for the ruler.

“I have had people phone up, panicking, saying the spider’s five, six inches,” he explains. “I talk to them and eventually it’s down to one and a half inches.”

“When people know the facts about spiders, when they learn a little bit about the biology, they start to understand that they’re really fascinating creatures,” he says.

“The fear of spiders is totally irrational. It’s very much in the mind.”

Spider phobia workshops are being offered throughout the summer, with the next workshop taking place on Saturday 14th July from 1.30pm. Telephone +44 (0)131 663 4932 for more details.