Press Red...
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...for interactive TV to discover your Coast
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At the end of each episode of Coast, digital viewers are
encouraged to 'press red' for a step-by-step guide to the Coast Walks
project.
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Coast presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff
introduces a film providing general background information about the 39
coastal walks - available from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Where I Live websites - and the 12
interactive mobile phone walks.
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A local Ö÷²¥´óÐã presenter then puts the relevant mobile walk
to the test.
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Each mobile walk feature will follow on from the theme
of that evening's programme*, for example, after the programme about the
North East, a viewer can 'press red' and join the presenter as they tread
the streets of Whitby in search of Bram Stoker, Jet and Captain Cook.
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Once viewers have got a feel for what's on offer from
the mobile phone walks, Miranda ends the film with a detailed guide about
how to get involved in the walks.
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The interactive service has been designed simply so that
every viewer can work their way around the technology and enjoy the walks.
The films are available on a loop for at least an hour after every episode.
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*Please note: The exception is Programme Eight when,
for technical reasons, it is not possible to have a mobile phone walk
in northern Scotland.
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Discover Your Coast
Walks project…
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... go to bbc.co.uk/whereilive and click on Coast
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This will take you through to a map which highlights the
39 interactive walks that have been created to accompany the TV series,
Coast, including 12 you can follow using your mobile phone.
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Maps of the walks can be printed off from each coastal
Where I Live site and have been developed so that viewers can discover
and rediscover the many facets of the UK coastline - exploring the past,
present and future of the UK's coast.
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These walks have been mapped by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã and each one follows
a family-friendly route - accessible to wheelchairs and buggies - and
takes in geographical, historical and contemporary stories.
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Mobile Phone Walks…
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They are at the following places across the UK:
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1 Portsmouth
2 Plymouth
3 Cardiff
4 Caernarfon
5 Liverpool
6 Belfast
7 Glasgow
8 Falmouth
9 Leith
10 Whitby
11 Hull
12 Great Yarmouth
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At the 12 walks, the public will arrive at the start point
and phone a number on a waymarker.
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They will then be given instructions to get to the next
waymarker, and at each of the eight points of interest will phone
the number and receive approximately two minutes of audio about that specific
spot.
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Each time the walkers phone in, the technology will recognise
which point they are at and give them the relevant information.
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The audio is also available on the internet, so people
who would like to do a specific walk but can't physically get there, can
do it via the website.
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A free download of the audio for the mobile phone walks
is available for MP3 players via the Where I Live sites.
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Discover Your Coast Guided
Walk Events...
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There are free guided walk events happening at some of
the Discover Your Coast walk locations during the summer, where the public
can join Ö÷²¥´óÐã Local Radio presenters, Open University scientists and one
of the presenters from Coast.
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These events are in partnership with local councils and
other organisations. The events include guides and experts to tell people
about the location, as well as a 'hands on' activity and interactive exhibit
presented by the OU.
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At some events there are special tours of historic places,
and many include entertainment and activities for children.
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They are free and suitable for all the family.
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The events will follow six of the mobile phone walks,
and are as follows:
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1 Portsmouth on 23 July
2 Caernarfon on 31 July
3 Belfast on 6 August
4 Glasgow on 13 August
5 Whitby on 20 August
6 Great Yarmouth on Bank Holiday Monday, 29 August
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Each event includes OU activities that investigate examples
of coastal rocks and wildlife. The rock activities focus on the geology
of our coast, and include a 'rock of the day' and an exhibition that explains
the formation of some of our typical coastal rocks.
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The wildlife activity focusses on marine molluscs in a
tank of seawater and also demonstrates simple non-damaging techniques
for investigating life on our seashores.
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There is also a Discover your Coast pack that, along with
the activities, encourages people to engage with both the natural and
human history of the coast, as well as sparking their interest in learning
more about their coastal environment.
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At each event there are OU multimedia displays constructed
from seaside postcards and photos from the past which reveal how the coast
has changed.
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As part of this, people are being asked to bring their
own photos of their coastline along so that they can form part of this
multimedia display.
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Photos can be scanned in, to help reveal how the coast
has changed.
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People will also be able to log onto open2.net and play
an interactive decision making game, which shows how the coast of the
future will look - a postcard is produced, dependent on the decisions
made during the game.
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Open University
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A diverse group of OU specialists in history, biology,
geography, technology and oceanography have worked with the Coast production
team, providing input and advice to the programmes.
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Joe Smith, Lecturer in Environment at the Open University,
is the main consultant with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã on the 13-part series.
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He teaches on environment courses from introductory to
postgraduate level, writing and designing distance learning materials.
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Courses
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Viewers inspired by the series can learn more about the
UK coast through Open University courses. Log on to www.open.ac.uk/courses
to find out more.
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Short Open University Courses
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" Fossils and the History of Life
" Studying Mammals
" Life in the Oceans
" Explaining the Emergence of Humans
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Other Open University courses
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" Discovering Science
" Working with our Environment: Technology for a Sustainable
Future
" Biology: Uniformity and Diversity
" Environmental Science
" Geology
" How the Earth Works: The Earth's Interior
" Physical Resources and Environment
" Earth and Life
" Energy for a Sustainable Future
" Environmental Control and Public Health
" Ecology
" Ancient Mountains: Practical Geology in Scotland
" The Geological Record of Environmental Change
" The Environmental Web
" Environmental Science in the Field
" The Geological History of the British Isles
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SeaBritain 2005
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SeaBritain 2005 is a year-long festival celebrating Britain's
maritime heritage and the many ways in which the sea touches lives.
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At its heart is the Trafalgar Festival, a series of events
commemorating Nelson and Trafalgar, culminating in the Trafalgar Weekend
of 21 to 23 October 2005.
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The objectives of SeaBritain 2005 are to raise awareness
of our maritime heritage, of key environmental and climate issues, and
of the contemporary importance of the maritime sector of the economy,
as well as to encourage sea-borne sport and recreation and to promote
tourism around our coast and islands.
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The Sea Britain 2005 website lists more than a thousand
events and exhibitions taking place throughout 2005, and 350 maritime
attractions across the UK.
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Highlights include the Nelson and Napoléon exhibition
at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (7 July-13 November); the
New Trafalgar Dispatch taking place throughout August and September; the
Royal Navy's Trafalgar 200 Autumn events - T200; and maritime festivals
in Bristol, Falmouth and Chatham.
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On 20 July, many members of the Royal Family will be showing
their support with a maritime theme day involving some 30 engagements
across the length and breadth of the nation.
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SeaBritain 2005 is an initiative of the National Maritime
Museum with a wide range of national, regional and local partners.
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Details of SeaBritain 2005's leading national partner
organisations can be found on the website - including VisitBritain, the
Trafalgar Festival, the National Trust, the RYA, the Royal Navy, SeaVision
UK and Trinity House - who are joining the National Maritime Museum in
delivering these objectives.
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Ö÷²¥´óÐã Book
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Coast - the book - written by Christopher Somerville,
is an illustrated celebration of the UK's coastal areas and its cultural
heritage, published to accompany the major Ö÷²¥´óÐã TV series.
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As well as being a tour of the UK coastline, it is a practical
guide to all that the coast has to offer.
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Christopher Somerville is one of Britain's most respected
and prolific travel writers. With 25 books and hundreds of newspaper articles
to his name, he writes regularly for The Times, The Daily Telegraph and
The Sunday Times.
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He has made journeys all over Britain, many of them on
foot, and particularly enjoyed writing about out-of-the-way places, from
the obscure corners of the Essex marshes to the remote islands of Scotland.
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The first part of the Coast is divided into the 12
coastal regions as featured in the programme, with lavish photography,
maps and evocative essays.
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The second part is an in-depth gazetteer - a region-by-region
reference complete with comprehensive maps of places, people, activities,
natural history, historic events and fascinating facts - all clearly laid
out to help you plan your own trip.
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From the dramatic cliffs of Eastbourne's Beachy Head to
the spare beauty of the Norfolk salt marshes; from storm-wrecked Cape
Wrath at the edge of the Scottish Highlands to the peaceful wooded creeks
of Cornwall's Helford river; from the lights of Blackpool to the 'English
Riviera' of Torquay, Coast reveals the UK's coastal heritage transporting
readers to the UK's beauteous coastal areas.
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Coast by Christopher Somerville is published by Ö÷²¥´óÐã Books,
priced £16.99.
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Printable version