Trek back in time with new town centre trail for families
Oldham is launching a free interactive digital activity trail called the Oldham Time Trek, starting on 14 June 2025. The augmented reality adventure features 12 stops around the town centre, allowing families to explore Oldham's heritage through selfies, stories, and puzzles. Participants can collect letters to solve a word puzzle and claim a digital prize and a treat from Waterstones. The trail, developed by Oldham Council and partners, includes guided tours and will be available until at least June 2026.
Oldham families can step into the town’s past beginning Saturday 14 June, when the free Oldham Time Trek augmented-reality trail opens across the town centre. Twelve plaques and window stickers, each hiding a QR code, unlock short interactive scenes that let visitors pose for selfies with historical characters, read local stories and solve mini-puzzles on any smartphone or tablet.
The 60- to 90-minute walk weaves together suffragette Annie Kenney, stone elephant heads and a cast of circus animals; scanning every code reveals a letter that spells a final word. Solvers collect a digital children’s prize and, while stocks last, a treat from Waterstones on the ground floor of The Spindles during trading hours. No app or registration is required, and stops can be tackled in any order over several days.
Jeremy Sutcliffe, secretary of the Oldham Area Civic Society, will lead two guided tours—at 10 am and 1 pm—starting from the Annie Kenney statue outside the Old Town Hall. The tours are free and need no booking. The trail, created by Oldham Council, High Street Safari and Dare to Know Theatre under the High Street Accelerator Partnership, is funded by the UK Government’s High Street Accelerator Programme and will remain active until at least June 2026.
Councillor Peter Dean, cabinet member for thriving communities and culture, said: “This trail brings Oldham’s proud past to life in a way the whole family can enjoy. From suffragettes to circus animals, it’s packed with stories that have shaped our town. It’s a fun and interactive way to get out, get walking, and see Oldham in a new light. Why not make a day of it with a visit to Gallery Oldham or some local shopping along the way?” Maggie Hughes, owner of Zutti on Yorkshire Street and chair of the partnership, added: “We’re delighted to be launching the free trail just in time for summer. Families will love solving puzzles and posing for selfies whilst learning about the people and places that make Oldham’s high street so special.”
Source: Read original article