FAMILIES looking for fun, free activities during the Easter holidays are invited to try out two new augmented reality trails.

The first ‘Easter Egg’ trail, a joint initiative between the LoyalFree app and Ilkley BID, runs until April 16 and is an Easter egg hunt around Ilkley town centre.

Using the latest augmented reality technology, participants can explore Ilkley to hunt for Easter eggs hidden at various locations. By finding the posters and scanning the AR markers using their smartphone camera, they can witness an Easter egg appearing right before their eyes. And one lucky winner who completes the trail can win a £25 Ilkley Gift Card.

The second ‘Spring into Ilkley’ trail on Ilkley BID’s Discover Ilkley app introduces you to characters, animals and plants that epitomise spring time which again can be discovered using smartphones at various locations across the town centre.

You can also capture and share photos of the scenes and characters with your friends and family using the in-app camera button.

In addition to the two Easter themed trails, residents and visitors to the town can also take part in the Discover Ilkley ‘Origins of Ilkley’ trail, an initiative by Ilkley BID and Bradford Council to promote tourism within Ilkley and to increase footfall to all areas of the town.

This trail helps you discover more about the fascinating people, places and events that shaped Ilkley through the centuries. You can go back in time to meet Sir Peter de Middleton to hear about his influence on the town today, as well as Ellis Ickeringill who will share how Ilkley became a famous spa town. There are also virtual appearances from Donkey Jackson, Rombald the Giant, a Roman Soldier and the Goddess Verbeia.

This trail can be enjoyed all year round and uses historical imagery supplied by Ilkley Manor House.

Lisa Drake, Ilkley BID Project Coordinator says: “In addition to our fantastic ‘Origins of Ilkley’ trail, we are really excited to launch these two Easter augmented reality trails in Ilkley, providing some entertaining free family fun this holiday. It’s the modern way of finding Easter eggs and Easter characters that is sure to delight everyone taking part as well as hopefully introducing them to previously unknown businesses while exploring the town.”

For the ‘Easter Egg Hunt’ trail, download the LoyalFree app for free and head to the trails section for more information. The LoyalFree app can be downloaded using: www.loyalfree.co.uk/download or searching for ‘LoyalFree’ in your app store.

For the ‘Spring into Ilkley’ and ‘Origins of Ilkley’ trails, download the Discover Ilkley app for free by searching for ‘Discover Ilkley’ in your app store or via Google Play.