Double the Fun for Gloucestershire Treasure Hunters

Regional prizewinners across the country are celebrating this week after Treasure Trails held its annual draw from all the correct answers submitted in 2010. And it seems that the people of Gloucestershire are really embracing the challenge to get out and about having fun exploring with Treasure Trails as this year not one but two winners are from Gloucestershire! 

The local regional prize of £168 went to Ruth Savage of Cirencester who won after submitting a correct answer to the Cirencester Spy Mission Trail which she completed with colleagues from work on a fun team day.  Ruth was delighted with her win and told Rachel Butt, Area Manager of Treasure Trails, that this was not the first Treasure Trail she had done. “I first found out about Treasure Trails when I did a Murder Mystery Trail in Newquay on a hen party. I think the idea is brilliant. You get to have fun and find out all sorts of things about places you never knew before, and at only £5 they are such great value for money. I had been recommending them to all my friends and family and so when it came to finding an interesting and different activity that everyone from work could all take part in together Treasure Trails seemed like the perfect choice.” 

Rachel has also had the pleasure this week of presenting the Tewkesbury based winner of the Hereford and Worcestershire regional prize fund with their cheque for £137. Claire Mebrius, her partner, Jeremy Harber, and their daughter Lily joined other family and friends on the Bewdley Spy Trail last summer and enjoyed themselves so much they have since bought more Trails both locally and for their holiday later this year in Devon. Claire and Jeremy agreed, “We had a fantastic time. All the family was able to join in, we made a day of it and took a picnic. That’s the good thing about Treasure Trails; you can do them in your own time and at your own pace and with a Treasure Trail to follow you can visit a place you don’t know and be sure you’ll see the best bits at the same time as finding out about the town or city in a really fun way”.

There are now nearly 600 Murder Mystery, Treasure Hunt and Spy Mission Trails across the country, with 20 so far in and around Gloucestershire, and 32 professional Trail writers adding more all the time across the UK. In order to solve the mystery simply follow the step by step directions and solve clues based on permanent things of interest like monuments, buildings and statues.

To find out if they have solved the trail correctly Trailers submit their answer online and a percentage of all Trails sold goes into a prize fund which is won by one lucky regional winner every year. The Trails are, on average, about 2 miles long so provide beneficial gentle exercise and a healthy dose of fresh air as well as the chance to spend quality time together. With more people looking to staycation this year Treasure Trails make a great, value for money day out that will please all ages, throughout the year.

Treasure Trails was started by Steve Ridd MBE in Cornwall in 2005, with the aim of getting local people out and about exploring all the beautiful and historical places in his local area but it was not until March 2010 that Rachel Butt set up the local branch in Gloucestershire. Rachel says “We’re all surrounded with amazing landscapes and fascinating history but as it’s constantly in front of our face, we often fail to notice it. Treasure Trails really brings the land and its stories alive and gets children and adults alike involved in finding and solving our fun mysteries. Adding our competitive element certainly spices it all up and it was great to learn that two regional winners were from Gloucestershire and now have a ‘pot of gold’ to enjoy. Across the whole of the UK Treasure Trails gave away in excess of £3,000 this year in prizes.  Here in Gloucestershire we are now working on expanding the catalogue of Trails still further to appeal to even more fun loving local explorers.”

Go to www.treasuretrails.co.uk to find out more.

Explore Gloucestershire
13 February 2011

• Also see : Treaure Trails Gloucestershire

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