Trust secures Â£65,000 for app development

Lagan Valley MLA Robbie Butler and local Councillor Nicholas Trimble have welcomed the 'tremendous news' that the Lagan Navigation Trust has secured Â£65,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its One For The Heart digital storytelling pilot.

In a joint statement, the two UUP elected representatives said: “This is a real boost for the local economy and the area’s tourist trade.

“The innovative development of an augmented reality app will be used to share the significant cultural heritage of the 300-year-old Lagan Navigation route.

“The project will link selected waterways sites to their local place, stories and people, coming together into an authentic and distinctive story that can be accessed by visitors through their smartphones.

“This can be used to effectively develop the local tourist industry as we want to see more visitors coming to Lagan Valley as well as existing constituents enjoying the benefits of their home constituency.”

The statement added: “What would be the icing on the cake for this magnificent announcement would be if the Stormont Executive could get up and running again so the local parties could have the chance to throw their full weight behind this very worthy project.”