All aboard interactive Rushden Greenway app to unlock mini-movie adventure

Visitors to Rushden have been invited to get on board with a new interactive story along the Greenway, created by young filmmakers across Northamptonshire and Screen Northants.

The Artcodes trail 'All Aboard for Rushden' is an interactive story app that follows art installations along the Greenway path between Rushden Station and Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre.

Following the story of a mail bag accident on a local railway in 1911 and the imagined contents of the bag, visitors can work their way along the former rail line with the Artcodes bringing the history of Rushden to life along the way.

Originally launched in 2018, the free app has been extended for autumn 2021 with six new stops, in association with Screen Northants.

Nenescape’s Amanda Johnson, who has managed the project, said: “This project has captured the imaginations of young people across the area for the last few years and we’re delighted that in association with Screen Northants, they have been able to be actively involved in creating the content for these next five stops.

“With help from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we worked with partners across Northamptonshire to bring this part of the Nene Valley’s history to life and we hope it will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Working in a similar way to QR codes, the technology allows a smartphone or tablet to ‘read’ an image with a hidden code embedded within, through a free Artcodes app, which links to online content.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has backed the Nenescape Landscape Partnership Scheme which has worked with the University of Nottingham’s Computer Science department, Rushden Historical Transport Museum, Rushden Museum, the Greenway team, the former East Northamptonshire Council, Rushden Town Council, Destination Nene Valley, Screen Northants and the University of Northampton’s history department to create the technology.

Young filmmakers across Northamptonshire worked with Screen Northants to create the films for the story.