Arun District Council launches new Littlehampton history website to replace closed Look and Sea Centre exhibition

River Beach Primary School teamed up with Arun District Council to launch the new Littlehampton Histories and Stories website, designed to replace the Look and Sea exhibition which closed in August 2018.

The website is smartphone friendly, with QR codes on each new monolith across the town, taking people to a learning trail led by mascot Ozzie the Owl.

Kit, one of the pupils asked to trial the new interactive tool, said: "I was quite excited, as I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen, but it was quite fun. I’ve learned about some famous people and even that a famous person died on my road, which is kind of creepy! It’s a good way to learn and I think people should give it a go.”

Funded by the council, the website is a dynamic tool for residents and visitors to learn about the history of Littlehampton, with its rich maritime past, significant buildings and famous faces that have lived in the town.Shaun Gunner, Arun District Council leader, said: "People always talk about Littlehampton’s maritime heritage and the history of Littlehampton, so this is a real opportunity to learn about that history and some of the fascinating things that have happened in the town, as well as about some of the famous faces who have lived here.

"I think this is a great way for everyone, not just young people, to discover the important contributions the town has made and continues to make, in a fun interactive way.”

Contributors to the website include Littlehampton Museum, Littlehampton Heritage Group and Littlehampton Miniature Railway Association.

Ellie Slater, history lead at River Beach, said: "I think it’s fantastic because it taps into children’s desire to use technology. We’ve used the town trail that the museum has which is on paper but this is also great because they can use technology and it taps into their generation. Studies have shown that children take in more information and retain it when they’re reading it from a screen.

“Our school is really interested in local history so we’ve adapted our curriculum so that it’s bespoke to our area and most of the year groups do some sort of local study, or when looking at national history will tune into how that affected Littlehampton, so this is perfect to learn more about the place where they live.”

Visit www.littlehamptonstories.co.uk to meet Ozzie the Owl and find out more about the learning trail.