New AR experience for Ipswich is under way this summer

With the start of the school summer holidays, local families and young visitors can enjoy a free, interactive and fun virtual experience with a new Augmented Reality (AR) Trail live across Ipswich.

DiGBY and Beattie’s Adventure is taking over the town centre, from Christchurch Park down to the Waterfront, every day until 4 September.

Players can use their smartphones, iPads or tablets to download an app, join the Adventure, and navigate a set route that combines the real world with computer-generated content, in a mix of learning and fun, games and storytelling.

This AR self-guided tour features seven interactive stops with themes and characters unique to Ipswich, together with a picture gallery of digital art walls around the town. Some stops also have special opportunities to take selfies and other photos with the augmented content. At each stop, children can interact with the characters and learn about the themes.

Beattie the Hedgehog inspires everyone to stay active; DiGBY the Octopus loves recycling, and Mabel the Owl wants to protect our natural environment. The Golden Lion symbolises the future of Ipswich. At the same time, Rosie the Rhino represents favourite activities and attractions in town. Wolsey’s Cat is bringing the history of Ipswich to life, and Sammy, the Sea Squirt, wants everyone to keep moving. Each character has a different message and theme for children to discover, making the AR experience both educational and entertaining.

Players can choose to complete the whole trail in one go, from start to finish, or follow the map to each one of the seven stops separately over the course of the summer. Everyone who visits all seven characters and finishes the trail will be rewarded with free children’s book or audio book prizes.

There’s also a Digby and Beattie website where families can download an activity pack for children to draw their favourite character and theme, then submit a photograph of their artwork. After 48 hours, they can see it come to life in a digital picture gallery at their chosen stop.

These AR characters will become familiar faces around town ‘in real life’ over the coming weeks. A range of promotional material is appearing to encourage ‘adventurers’ to get involved, from banners outside the Town Hall to posters, flyers and postcards available in Council, leisure and hospitality venues. Information will be available in three languages – English, Romanian and Polish. The Digital Ipswich team will also be sharing latest updates on their social media channels including Instagram and Tik Tok.

Councillor Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council’s Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development & Towns Fund, says:

“This is the second AR experience created by Digital Ipswich, a Towns Fund project from Ipswich Borough Council, based on ideas for a series of future trails around the town put forward by residents. We’re delighted that AR trails have proved so popular with people of all ages in Ipswich, and our visitors too. 

“For the summer months, these exciting, interactive stops around the town centre are bringing many characters to life, with an inspiring mix of information, imagery and video. This Trail celebrates a historic past, vibrant present, and promising future for Ipswich while getting our ‘adventurers’ moving and exploring old and new areas of town.

“Now is the best time to explore Ipswich along DiGBY and Beattie’s Adventure Trail, while having lots of fun with family and friends along the way.”