Treasure Map Trails

Treasure Map Trails are fantasy-themed, hand-illustrated treasure maps of UK towns for children aged 5 to 12. They get families outside, off screens, having fun together, and seeing towns in a new and inspiring way.

The maps are double-sided A3 posters that are bold, colourful and creative. Each one is based on the real layout of a town centre and includes roads and recognisable buildings so kids can find their way around.

We grab the attention of youngsters by decorating each map with a fantasy theme. Popular designs feature aliens, dinosaurs, sea creatures, robots, superheroes, pirates and fairytales.

The challenge is to discover treasures that are permanent features found across the town, such as gargoyles, statues, sculptures and quirky signs. We try to pick items that have a link to local history.

Treasures are drawn on the front of the map and their location is indicated by boxes so children know where to look. Their task is to follow the map to the correct location and look up, down and all around to find the treasure, which they mark on the map.

LOCAL HISTORY LINKS
On the back of every map we include 10 fast facts about the town and treasures, which families can chat about over cake and coffee. It's our way of getting kids (and parents) interested and engaged in their local history.

We've also created the Treasure Map Trails Academy, where kids can download a certificate celebrating their new rank each time they finish a map.

The first Treasure Map Trail was launched at the beginning of September 2020. They proved such as success that we now have 36 maps of towns and cities from Cheshire to central London.

In that time we've sold 10,000 maps through our website and independent retailers, including gift shops, visitor centres, farm shops, cafes, campsites and even an art gallery.

We've also teamed up with more than 25 schools to help them raise funds by offering maps to parents, which has been a really popular initiative for PTAs who have been unable to run their usual fundraising events through the pandemic.

WHAT MUMS SAY
Feedback has been incredible, and we have 80 five-star reviews on Facebook and Google. Parents comments have included:

"What a fantastic day! Brilliant map full of wonderful art work and easy to follow. Third map ordered!" Clare P

"Was lovely spending time together and exploring the town with the map! The children loved looking around for the treasures and they saw things differently. Good boredom buster!" Josie L

"Such a fun, informative thing to do with our 5 year old grandson. He LOVED the trail and has asked for lots more!" Margie J

"A fantastic way to spend some family this this afternoon (even our dog joined us). We split into teams of 2 to make it a bit competitive, which our children loved. Really good fun!" Pamela K

"Made me look at a familiar place in such a different way! The kids loved looking our for the things they need to spot. Will be back for more maps in the future." Jo A

"Great way to get kids out and finding some interesting things. I must have walked past a lot of those things so many times and never noticed they were there!" Becca L

SOCIAL IMPACT
We hope we've had a social impact too. Research says that parents feel guilty that they're not spending enough quality time with their children*, so we're determined to create an affordable adventure that families can experience together.

And we recognise that high streets and towns centres have had a tough time through the pandemic, so we'll stay hyper-local and focus on encouraging families to explore the under-appreciated, hidden gems that are often close to home.

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*Research: 'British parents have less than half an hour a day of ‘real’ quality time with their children', iNews, 05/09/19, https://tinyurl.com/kshrapey