Visitors to East Park will be able to explore it in a completely different way, thanks to a new free app.
Love Exploring takes in the history and ecology of the park to produce virtual games and activities for the whole family to enjoy, a perfect way to be active this Christmas.
Funded by Hull City Council, Hull Culture and Leisure and Holderness House, the app is designed to encourage more people to use their parks, get outdoors and get active whilst having fun.
Augmented reality features in the app means families can hunt for dinosaurs and fairies, which will ‘come alive’ across the park, as well as taking part in a range of discovery games, quizzes, guided tours and walking routes.
The app is already used across the country with many parks and open spaces already featured, meaning users can tap into the app when visiting other parts of the country.
Once downloaded, the Love Exploring App is designed to be used ‘off grid’ so it will not eat up your valuable data and with a five year contract in place and regular seasonal updates, including the Thomas Ferens Heritage Trail arriving in the new year, the future of exploring East Park is looking bright.
People are invited to take selfies with the fairies and share them on social media, using #gethullactive.
Councillor Marjorie Brabazon, Chair of Hull Culture and Leisure said: “Love Exploring gives families a great opportunity to spend time in East Park in a completely different way.
“It’s fantastic to see this project come to life at the park and already know it will prove incredibly popular with visitors.”
Councillor Gwen Lunn, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Adult Social Care, said: “Walking, fresh air and green spaces can do wonders for physical and mental health. This has been a particularly difficult year for both of those, with fewer chances to play sport, go to the gym and lots of stress and worry for so many people.
“This is something that’s free, can be done in line with even the tightest coronavirus restrictions and adds an exciting new element to places we might be very familiar with.
“We’ve seen in recent years that using technology like this to make walking into an exciting game can be extremely effective at encouraging people to get outside and move more”.
The app can be downloaded now on Apple and Android devices for free.
