A town on the edge of Norwich has taken a leap into the digital age by launching its own app.
Thorpe St Andrew Town Council has teamed up with digital technology company Norfolk Geeks to develop a one-stop-shop mobile phone app for people living in the town.
The app, which is already available to download, provides a directory of information, events and advice for town-dwellers, including details of town council meetings, things to do nearby and schools.
John Fisher, mayor of Thorpe St Andrew, said: “This is a first-class mobile application at the cutting edge of mobile technology. It puts our town on the map in more ways than one. Every resident will be able to access the benefits of Thorpe St Andrew and do their bit to improve the town.”
But what can you learn about Thorpe St Andrew from the app? Here are nine things we learned after downloading the app.
• The two has a two-hour walk’s worth of history
One section of the app that immediately catches the eye is the ‘history’ section. Inside here, app users can read stories about various buildings that exist in the town before visiting them.
The section also provides route suggestions for three history trails around Thorpe St Andrew - the longest of which claims to take two hours to complete.
• How the town has grown
The app’s history section also documents just how much Thorpe has grown since its infancy, in particularly over the past two centuries.
It states that the 1801 Census recorded a population of 400 people - a figure that swelled to 2,500 a century later, in the 1901 Census. In the most recent Census, 2011, this figure was more than 14,000
• Where to walk
As well as detailing history trails through the town, the app sets out three separate walks around the area - each of between 45 minutes and an hour in length.
The three walks take in the various sights and open spaces of the town, including Thorpe Marshes, a walk through the town itself, and The Breck.
• How to report a street light fault
Under the heading ‘street scene’ the app provides a handy way for town-dwellers to report when their street lights have gone out - and keeps a record of where the faults were for future reference.
For example,i n the past week lamps on Furze Road, Gorse Road and Spinney Road were reported as faulty and have since been repaired - while a light on Eastern Close has been reported but is awaiting rectification.
• Where the pubs are - and were
Not only does the app provide a directory of the town’s existing pubs, for heritage-lovers it also provides details of where former pubs were and - where possible - what they are now.
• Where the nearest amenities to you are
The app near enough entirely eliminates the need for a phone book in Thorpe, providing contact details for local amenities including medical centres, schools and other local business.
• Where to eat?
As well as providing details of local services, the app has full details of restaurants, bars and pubs in the town - including opening hours, phone numbers and social media details.
• Thorpe’s darkest hour
Back in the history section, a short passage on the town’s history recounts the story of a tragic incident in the 19th century.
It reads: “On the darker side, Thorpe was the scene of one of the worst accidents in railway history when two trains collided head-on in September 1874, causing 25 deaths and many injuries.”
• What the weather is expected to do
The app is regularly updated with brief weather forecasts, predicting the town’s weather in three-hourly intervals.
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