YOUNG history detectives are on the search for ‘treasure’ on their doorsteps to learn about the past.
Pupils from Newark Primary School are enjoying a new geocaching project which is part of a wider Inverclyde heritage programme.
The children used a hand-held GPS receiver and co-ordinates to find the ‘cache’ — made up of a piece of paper inside a capsule — at Newark Castle in Port Glasgow.
Once found, it is signed and dated by the person who finds it.
Kay Clark, co-ordinator of the Inverclyde Heritage — Quest for Learning Project, said: “Geocaching is international and we thought we would take the concept and incorporate into the heritage project by creating books that tell a story about five different areas in Inverclyde.
“There are books on Newark Castle, Kilmacolm, Greenock Esplanade, Gourock Ashton and Ardgowan Estate.
“Newark Primary chose the castle and Esplanade — they looked through books to find the flag number, like codebreaking.
“When they found the flag number they visited the castle and their teacher had co-ordinates to find the cache.
“The children punch in the numbers into the GPS, like a satnav, to find the cache.”
Eventually other schools will take part and everything that is found will become part of the area’s heritage trail.
Newark P7 teacher Kimberley Holden said: “It was great that we were the first school to get an opportunity to do this.
“The kids felt quite special and it was a new exciting project for them.”
Cameron Woods, 11, who found the cache, said: “I feel like a detective.”
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