Sunderland's newest attraction: 'Silent disco' heritage tour will shine a light on its past

A brand new attraction to the city will be revealed this month.

Let the stories unfold as you walk

It involves people downloading a free app onto a smartphone and then wearing headphones as they walk round Wearside, letting stories unfold as users walk through the city centre.

The app encourages people to ‘explore at your own pace, choosing your adventure as you wander from Keel Square to Sunderland Minster’.

The ‘geo-tagged’ project is called "You Are Here: Sunderland".

Geo-tag technology to hail Sunderland’s past

It uses geo-tag technology and silent disco headsets to explore Sunderland's rich social history through the voices and stories of local people.

The project has been described as a way of encouraging people ‘to look at their surroundings and think about Sunderland and its history in a new way’.

Melanie Rashbrooke is the Artistic Director for The Six Twenty which is one of the backers of "You Are Here: Sunderland". Six Twenty creates theatre in exciting forms.

‘It's a testament to the power of young voices’

She said: “Every element of the trail has been shaped by the Youth Council. It's a testament to the power of young voices.’

It was co-created with a team of young people and community groups in Sunderland, including the instrumental involvement of Sunderland Youth Council.

The project is a collaboration between The Six Twenty, Sunderland Youth Council, and Together for Children, with funding from Historic England's History in the Making grant programme and support from Arts Council England.

‘You Are Here opens fascinating windows into Sunderland’s past’

Melanie added: "We've worked incredibly closely with the Sunderland Youth Council to reimagine how people interact with place markers and heritage trails.

"Together, we've created a geo-tagged audio trail where the audio becomes the place markers, bringing the stories of local people to life through the buildings and objects already present in the city.”

One highlight of the trail is called "Manifesto for the Future of Sunderland," and was created by the Sunderland Youth Council.

It is a time-capsule which captures the hopes and dreams of young people in the city.

Wendy Coghlan, Prevention and Participation Manager from Together for Children and Sunderland Youth Council, said: “The city centre was a really important area for us, it's where young people hang out and one of the areas of the city where the past, present and future are clear to see and celebrated.”

Finn White, Participation Manager at Historic England, said: “You Are Here opens fascinating windows into Sunderland’s past, giving a voice to stories that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Launch events are planned in Sunderland from Monday, June 23 and they include drop-in sessions, and silent disco tours.

To find out more about the scheme, visit www.thesixtwenty.com/you-are-here-sunderland