Is it time to explore our local area more?
REPORT CLAIMS NOT ENOUGH OF US APPRECIATE OUR HERITAGE
HOW many of us fully appreciate the history and heritage of this fantastic part of the world we live in? A new report claims one in three Newcastle residents (29%) can’t remember the last time they explored their local area.
And 12% of those in Newcastle apparently cannot name a single landmark or tourist attraction in the area they live, while many residents (49%) admit they take their local area for granted.
On average, those in Newcastle spend just 10 days per year exploring their local surroundings.
Yet that is one of the higher national figures with folk in London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Cardiff, for example, spending just six days a year enjoying their own local areas.
Nationwide, two-fifths of us admit to taking our local area for granted, while one in ten never visit well-known tourist attractions on our own doorsteps, according to the new study by leading cider brand, Stowford Press.
Meanwhile, more Britons have visited the Eiffel Tower (52%) than the recent Royal Wedding venue Windsor Castle (36%).
The poll of more than 2,000 adults – commissioned to celebrate the launch of Stowford Press’s new campaign celebrating The Wonderfulness of Local – also found that 17% of those who live in Newcastle would struggle to occupy themselves if they spent a weekend close to home.
In fact, 15% admit they are more familiar with fictional settings such as those in their favourite soap operas than attractions and places on their own doorsteps.
Stowford Press brand manager, Holly Chadwick, said: “It’s easy to get carried away planning trips and holidays to all sorts of far-flung locations or getting stuck in the daily grind, but as a nation we are overlooking the diverse offering of adventures ready to be enjoyed right on our doorsteps.”
For those who want a few reminders about where to visit in the Newcastle and Tyneside area to appreciate our heritage and culture, here are some suggestions - in no particular order - that are free or relatively inexpensive...
The Quayside; the Tyne Bridge; St Nicholas’ Cathedral; the Theatre Royal; the Grainger Market; Newcastle Castle; Laing Art Gallery; Discovery Museum; Grey’s Monument; the Sage Gateshead; the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art; the Victoria Tunnel; the Great North Museum: Hancock; Saltwell Park; Jesmond Dene; Newcastle Central Station; Bessie Surtees’ House; Leazes Park; Stephenson Railway Museum; Newcastle Civic Centre; High Level Bridge; Central Arcade; the Swing Bridge; Exhibition Park; Jarrow Hall AngloSaxon Farm, Village and Bede Museum and Jarrow monastery; Newcastle Town Wall; St Mary’s Cathedral; Tyne & Wear Archives; Dunston Staiths; The Guildhall; Church of St John the Baptist; St James’ Park; Segedunum; and last but not least, Gateshead’s Angel of the North.
There are many more places to visit, of course. Maybe we should all try and get out more and explore our local area.
Holly Chadwick of Stowford Press added: “With a quarter of us admitting we can’t remember the last time we explored our local area, Stowford Press is encouraging Brits to rediscover their surroundings by embarking on their own local adventure.”
Off we go then...