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Royal Holloway students from the department of Geography have helped to develop an app as part of the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in Runnymede. The app, created for mobiles, will help to guide visitors of Runnymede around the site of the signing of the Magna Carta.
Tourists will be able to choose from a range of trails around Runnymede focusing on everything from the arts to ecology. Using the app, students have been able to help highlight the significance of some of the major landmarks in the area. The app was trialled late last month and according to its creators it ‘received largely very positive feedback from those involved.’ Second year Geography student Sally Toon was one of those involved in the process and said the best thing about being involved was ‘getting to learn lots more about Runnymede and the history of the local area around Royal Holloway, as apart from the Magna Carta, I knew very little about it before. Also it was great to work alongside other students on the project with similar interests to myself.’
The app will go live for use by the general public in April 2015. However, it is only part of a much larger project to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. The ‘Egham Town Team’ has been created in order to redevelop the town centre to strengthen community pride and rebrand the town as the ‘gateway to Magna Carta Country’. In addition to this, it is understood that the Queen has given her permission for a 16 foot bronzed statue of herself to be stationed in Egham to welcome tourists as part of the anniversary celebrations.