Carron Glen route two
Opening Access to Great Places Launching the Great Place Falkirk Explored App
Moving Hidden Heritage Projects Online
A key objective of the Great Place project is the development of the Falkirk Explored mobile app. The app provides a range of information, such as walking trails and routes across the Falkirk Council area as well as audio guides. Developed in partnership with volunteers and local communities the app details our area’s cultural and heritage assets and attractions.
The Great Place Team moved their Hidden Heritage projects online via Zoom. These included the 6-week volunteer projects:
The app was scheduled to launch in early 2020 but was delayed since it specifically encouraged getting “out and about” and exploring the area. This conflicted with national restrictions, so we paused our plans and launched the app in July 2020, when restrictions were eased. The app has been a tremendous success and has recorded 3,315 downloads. We regularly update it, and it is a vital tool for us in terms of partnership working and raising awareness of the area’s outdoor and heritage offer and supporting our events.
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Developing the Great Place Trails Booklet Working with Falkirk Council Ranger Service, the Great Place team produced a free booklet comprising the top ten walks within the area. Geographically the walks guide users across the district and take in our area’s most breath-taking scenery, fascinating biodiversity, and incredibly natural and built heritage.
• Ancient Falkirk which focuses on exploring and interpreting the history of ancient Falkirk and the surrounding areas, including the Romans, Picts, and Prehistoric tools. • Industry & Empire which was developed to explore and interpret the history of industry and its connections to empire and slavery in the Falkirk area, as well as the national impact of our imperial industrial heritage. • Statues and Monuments which looks at the history of statues and monuments in the Falkirk area and the international history of our statuary heritage. Two additional Hidden Heritage projects that took place this year were: • Football: Our Clubs, Our Communities which explored the football heritage of the Falkirk Area, from Bo’ness to Dunipace. • Glorious Gardens where our volunteers worked with Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH) to develop stories about designed landscapes and gardens in the Falkirk area.
