An online trail that aims to encourage young people in Devon to discover more about the famous faces with connections to their locality has won a national award.
The Award-winning Trail
The Torbay Discovery Trail was developed through a collaboration between the South West Heritage Trust and the University of Exeter. Using resources held within the Devon Archives, the Trail enables young people to discover famous people from the area. Amongst those featured are the authors Agatha Christie and Rudyard Kipling, the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the tennis player Sue Barker.
‘A Worthy Winner’
The Torbay Discovery Trail won the 2021 Alan Ball Award for best local history e-publication. The Alan Ball Local History Awards recognise outstanding contributions in local history publishing, both in print and new media. The judges said that the Trail ‘was an excellent publication and it is a worthy winner.’
“Well-known local figures were selected to show young people that it is possible for them to achieve significant ambitions. The Trail can be used in the classroom or as a guided walk, enabling students to discover more about the people and places where they live,” Brian Carpenter from the Devon Archives
A Collaboration
The Trail was developed in collaboration with two primary schools in Torquay, Ellacombe and Warberry, and 1010 Media. It draws on the research of Professor Gabriella Giannachi published in her 2016 study Archive Everything and on the expertise in the creative cultural sector of Joanne Evans. It was funded by the university’s department of Innovation, Impact and Business.
“It’s very exciting and rewarding to see how my research into the use of trails built by using archival resources on a mobile platform can benefit school children and cultural organisations of various kinds. The South West Heritage did a brilliant job working with the schools to locate the right images and construct a trail celebrating our heritage here in the South West,” Professor Gabriella Giannachi
Try the Trail
Although aimed at primary school pupils the Trail can be accessed and followed by anyone. To view the Trail visit www.southwestheritagetrails.org.uk