An exciting new campaign by 鈥楾he Valleys That Changed The World鈥� project is about to hit industrial heritage sites in the Valleys. Aimed at taking visitors on an adventure - it uses photo-boards and social media to engage people with 鈥榩ioneers鈥� from the Industrial Revolution.
Based around the lives of three fictional characters, the 鈥楶ioneers鈥� campaign captures the spirit of adventure and expectation faced by the hundreds of thousands of people who , in desperation rapidly moved in to the area during this exciting period in Welsh History.
Cllr Lewis Jones, Executive Member for Regeneration at Torfaen 成人大片, explains:
鈥淲e wanted to tie in with Visit Wales鈥� 鈥榶ears of adventure and legends鈥� by creating fun and creative trails linked to the people who came to our area during the Industrial Revolution 鈥� true adventurers who left their old lives behind for the chance of a better life in our Valleys. These really were pioneers of their time鈥�!
The downloadable trails are geographically spread across the Valleys. In the East, we meet Tim, a boy from Ireland who has come over with his family, initially to Blaenavon. In the central area we meet Hetty, who travels from the countryside of Carmarthen to work as a maid for the Crawshays at Cyfartha; and in the West, we meet Jack, a Cornish lad who has travelled over with the copper ore to the docks in Swansea.
It鈥檚 when you start following the trails on the ground that things get fun, as project coordinator Ruth Taylor-Davies explains:
鈥淎t three sites on each route, you鈥檒l get to 鈥榤eet鈥� and have your photo taken with our character at that stage in their story, thanks to our specially commissioned photo-boards. So, at The World Heritage site you find Tim as a fresh-faced boy, but by the end of the route, over 20 years of hard work have taken their toll on him. But that鈥檚 not all, you are encouraged to say how your think your character鈥檚 story ends, by visiting other sites and letting your creative juices flow. 鈥�. She added... 鈥淚鈥檓 genuinely excited about the trails. We think we鈥檝e hit on something that people will really love and have fun engaging with, as it fits with the fashion for sharing photos on social media as well as the whole 鈥榩hoto booth鈥� trend that you see in weddings and parties鈥�.
Inspired by the creative approaches adopted by Visit Wales and Cadw during Wales鈥� Year of Adventure, the project believes it has given a modern twist on the traditional idea of industrial heritage trails and hopes it will help to boost the traditionally quieter winter months at local heritage attractions.
To download the trails, visit: www.visitblaenavon.co.uk/TVTCTW/Pioneers; Follow us on Facebook (The Valleys That Changed The World) or Twitter @TVTCTW
Cllr Jim McIlwee, Blaenau Gwent 成人大片鈥檚 Executive Member for the Economy, Infrastructure and Active Living, said:
鈥楾his is an exciting way to expound our history and to encourage visitors to find out more about the Ironworking in Ebbw Vale. The General Office is a magnificent building which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. The building also contains Gwent Archives and the Ebbw Vale Works Museum that document the story of iron and steel in this valley.鈥�
鈥楾he Valleys that Changed the World鈥� project is led by Torfaen CBC on behalf of a public, private and third sector partners and has received funding from Welsh Government via Visit Wales.
For more information contact Ruth on 0786 2218066/lethaconsultancy@gmail.com