Peterborough Cathedral will be offering a special welcome during October Half Term to visitors who speak one of the 12 different languages that its AR trail has been translated into.

The family-friendly trail is an app for mobile phones and tablets which takes visitors on a 13-stop tour around the Cathedral using interactive games, puzzles and augmented reality (AR) animations. Objects or pictures in the Cathedral trigger a response so that users can explore and learn about the history and purpose of the building.

The app was first launched in English in March last year but during lockdown volunteers have been hard at work translating it into Czech, Danish, French, German, Lithuanian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Tetum.

The volunteers all came forward after an appeal from the Cathedral for native speakers who could offer their skills and time to do this work. Many of the translators are local to Peterborough and some are members of the Peterborough branch of their national community association. Others live further away but nonetheless responded to the call for help.  

“We are enormously grateful to the volunteers who have given their time to make these translations,” said Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough. “They have opened a door so that many more people can feel welcome in this magnificent Cathedral and can find out about it in their own language.”

The selection of languages offered reflects the knowledge of the volunteers. It is possible that further languages may be added in the future, although the current technical limitations of the app mean that some scripts cannot be uploaded.

Visitors are recommended to download the free app before they visit by searching for ‘Gamar Ltd’ in the Apple App Store or Google Play, the selecting the ‘Peterborough Cathedral Multi-Language Trail’.

Check here for Cathedral opening times.

Things are looking up: Tower Tours scheduled for half term week

The famous Peterborough Cathedral Tower Tours are also running during half term week, from Saturday 24th to Saturday 31st October (except Monday 26th). With social distancing in place and limited numbers on each guided tour, this is a great way to spend an adventurous and exhilarating couple of hours - if you have a head for heights.

The route goes up through the interior higher levels of the Cathedral, taking in close-up views of the stained glass, nave ceiling, bell ringing chamber and medieval windlass, as well as seeing the view from the top of the tower when the weather is fine.

The tours are open to ages 8+ and tickets are £15 per person. Full details and online booking links are on the Cathedral website here www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/towertour.