Enjoying a budget friendly visit to Coventry City Centre this Christmas

A Coventry family have praised a ‘brilliant’ free trail around Coventry City Centre and encouraged other families seeking budget-friendly activities to give it a go this festive period.

Grandparents Jeanette and Mark Worrall, who live in Poets Corner, were seeking a fun and educational activity for their visit to the city centre with their grandchildren Sean, age 10, and Liam, age 9.

They visited Visit Coventry’s website and discovered the range of free maps and trails available from the city’s Visitor Information Centre at Coventry Railway Station.

They picked up the Coventry Young Explorers Discovery Trail – where Eliot the elephant guides youngsters on a tour of the sights in the city centre.

The family visited locations including Broadgate, the Cathedral Ruins, Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Swanswell Gate, Coventry Transport Museum and more, filling the discovery trail sheet as they went.

After completing the map and answering questions, they returned to the visitor information centre to collect the Coventry Young Explorer’s badge.

Jeanette said that she has lived in Coventry her entire life and while it was educational for the children, she also enjoyed learning about the history of her own city.

“We knew we were going to have the boys on a specific day and we were thinking about what we could do which was a little bit different,” she said.

“I googled ‘What’s On in Coventry’ and found out about the maps you could get from the visitor information centres. We thoroughly enjoyed the trail, it was brilliant, and what a great idea for people when budgets are tight at Christmas.

“The children loved it too and even though we have lived here all our lives, it made us stop, think and learn about our city too.

“The trail is a great starter kit to get you thinking about the city and its history, from the Starley statue at the train station, all the way through to the exhibition in the Herbert.

“The children loved the experience, they went away and told their friends and teachers all about what they learned. Not everyone is aware of all the history that is right on their doorstep!”

Jeanette contacted Visit Coventry after completing the trail and the organisation worked with its partners to organise a special Christmas attraction trip around the city for her, her husband and the two boys.

They were given a guided tour of the city centre by Caroline Hobday, who works in the Visitor Information Centres, and learned more about the history of Coventry.

Jeanette and the family visited the Peeping Tom clock, Lady Godiva statue, Holy Trinity Church, the oldest house in the city, Ford’s Hospital and more.

Visit Coventry organised for the family to meet Santa at West Orchards Shopping Centre and enjoy the magical VR sleigh ride.

The family also had the chance to enjoy a ride on the festive big wheel in Broadgate, courtesy of The Giant Wheel Co.

“It was a really lovely experience and our guide Caroline was incredibly knowledgeable about the city,” said Jeanette.

“I was a little bit nervous about the big wheel but I would definitely recommend it, especially if it’s a clear day.

“A particular highlight for me was the visit to Holy Trinity Church, as that is where my mum and dad were married in 1945. The person in the church told me about the bride’s window which my mum would have contributed to.

“It’s really important that the kids know about where they are from, and the educational trail definitely helped to do that.”