The Stroud Nature Detective Challenge is an exciting free educational audio tour for children and their families visiting Stroud’s Bisley Road Cemetery from July 23 and throughout August.
Starting at The Monument, the tour is accessed using a smartphone to scan QR Codes positioned on posts around the cemetery.
Participants will be given detective challenges as they learn about the diverse wildlife, flora, habitats and history found at this unique location.
Audio examples include the lizard ninja walk, buzzing banks, spooky sounds, life and death, and lichen detectives. Detectives who complete the tour may even be rewarded with a secret prize.
The tour aims to engage children with their environment and spark curiosity and enthusiasm for the natural world. Skills of knowledge, patience, mindfulness and physical interaction are also developed. On-screen text accompanies the audio for those hard of hearing.
The initiative has been funded by Stroud Town Council which manages the cemetery and nature reserve with their Green Spaces Team.
It has been written by local nature enthusiast, filmmaker and writer, Amanda R. Whittington. She developed the audio tour after exploring nature around the cemetery with her young children during lockdown and noticing the positive impact it had on their wellbeing and engagement with nature.
“Bisley Road Cemetery is a brilliant place for observing nature and I wanted to share some of our findings and excitement with the community,” says Amanda.
“I hope the tour inspires others to enjoy exploring the natural world and our incredible landscape.”
The audio is read by residents from the Stroud community including Jonny Fluffy Punk and Chole Kempton from Playcircle.
Background nature soundscapes have been recorded from the cemetery and produced by Sasha Lewis.The graphic design and artwork is by Nastaran Kavir.
Chris Woolner, co-producer of the audio tour and manager of the Green Spaces Team at Stroud Town Council said:“We hope this tour will bring more families to the cemetery and create enthusiasm for nature and the environment.”
Bisley Road Cemetery was established in 1856 as an additional cemetery for the people of Stroud. Today it is a cemetery and nature reserve managed by Stroud Town Council’s Green Spaces Team.
