New Littlehampton history website gets the thumbs up from pupils
The council has teamed up with River Beach Primary School to launch the Littlehampton Histories and Stories website, designed to replace the Look and Sea exhibition which closed in August 2018.
Funded by the authority, the website is an interactive and 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.
Attending the launch, Councillor Shaun Gunner, Leader of Arun District Council, said:
“I’m really pleased to attend the launch of this new website, developed and funded by Arun District Council. 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.”
Ellie Slater, history lead at River Beach Primary School, who was joined by six pupils from the school, 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.”
After trying out the new interactive tool on a couple of the monoliths, pupil Kit 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.”
The website is smartphone friendly, with QR codes and videos on each new monolith (information board) across the town, with links to videos and quizzes for young people to enjoy on a learning trail – led by mascot Ozzie the Owl.
Contributors to the website include Littlehampton Museum, The Littlehampton Heritage Group and the Littlehampton Miniature Railway Association.
To try it for yourself, visit www.littlehamptonstories.co.uk.