Discover Portrush Heritage Experience
Portrush Heritage Group has just completed ( launched on the 30th June 2019) a new Heritage Experience for Portrush called “Discover Portrush, Heritage Experience”. At its core will be a Heritage Trail with 22 Markers located around the town in footpaths and an additional 9 Relaxing Locations at areas where there is public seating.
The Heritage Experience can be accessed in three ways:
- Through a Guided Tour by a certified guide
- By Self Guiding using the Guide Book
- By self Guiding using the App
The self-guided aids are all available free-of-charge. The Heritage Experience App project funding, came from Heritage Lottery Fund £25,000, Department for Communities £15,000 for the supply of 22 Trail Markers and installation of 19 markers, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council £2,000 (installation 3 markers), Portrush Heritage Group Members £2,000. Our use of the Discover Portrush brand is to facilitate the development of a number of Experiences eg, Maritime, Myths & Legends and our Young Explorers.
Antrim Gardens Discovery Project
Funded under the Peace 1V Programme (£10,000) for an archaeological survey of Antrim Gardens by Queens University Belfast and the engagement with local schools on the history of Antrim Gardens and Portrush.
Antrim Gardens Heritage Signage
Project funded by Landfill Communities Fund (£12,000) to replace existing Wall Top Heritage Signs and Install Bronze Well Top Bronze Plaques. Project scheduled for completion 30th June 2019.
Schools Engagement Programme
Project Funded by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Culture Arts & Heritage Fund (£1,000) for Tales of The Skerry Roads. Based on Story Telling as its main theme and involving over 730 School Children from Local Primary Schools. Phase two completed at 2018 Heritage Fair.
Through our work with the Heritage Trail, we re-branded ourselves under “Discover Portrush” with the aim of creating a family of “Experiences”. We also have secured social media channels (Web (.com, .co.uk, .ie), FB, Instagram, Twitter) for “Discover Portrush”. Our next Discover Portrush Experience, for our Young Explorers, will be “Discover Portrush, Young Explorer Hub”.
Through running the above programme we have developed a level of expertise within our Committee ( 12 Persons) and Volunteer Base ( 40 persons) for the delivery of projects ranging for our Pirates Festival (150 participating actors & 7500 spectators), Discover Portrush Heritage Experience (Digital App with 90 minutes of audio from 13 actors and Guide Book containing 18,000 words), History of Golf Exhibition (living history actors playing Old Tom Morris and May Hezlett), Tales of the Skerry Roads ( 800 School Children participating in a Story Telling Programme), Replacement of Heritage Signage ( Liaison with CCGBC staff to harmonise our new signage within their programme of signage replacement).