VISITORS to Pershore’s Avon Meadows will soon be able to get even closer to nature thanks to the launch of a new mobile phone app.
To celebrate the end of Wychavon District Council’s three-year Wetlands For All project, Evesham-based creative design agency Areca Design will launch the free app on Friday (April 22), allowing users to see the various birds and creatures living among the wildlife in 3D.
By placing their phone’s camera over new information boards or the official visitors map, Areca Design’s Mobile Augmented Reality 3D technology will transform the meadows into full bloom and offer more information about the town’s community wetland and local nature reserve.
The aim of the Wetlands for All project, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and been supported by Pershore Town Council and the Friends of Avon Meadow, was to enhance the area so it could be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities.
Over the three-year period more than 500 metres of new easy access footpaths, information boards featuring braille, wider entrance gates and walking trails around the meadows have been put in place and more than 500 school children and volunteers have taken part in events and conservation work.
A new management plan has been written by the Friends of Avon Meadows and thanks to the project, there is a new long-term vision to transform the area into a flower-rich meadow, something which the new app allows everyone to see for themselves.
Liz Etheridge, Wychavon’s Wetlands for All officer said: “The app will allow people to learn more about Avon Meadows in a fun and interactive way and is another way for visitors to enjoy what the site has to offer, especially when some of the wildlife is harder to spot.
“The Wetlands for All project has been an incredible experience and I’ve been humbled by the way so many people have joined in and given so much of their time and energy, not just to make the project a success, but to make Avon Meadows such a wonderful place for the people and wildlife of Pershore.
“I’m grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support, which has allowed us to achieve so much and make a really big difference in such a short space of time.”
