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Audio now available on the Plymouth Trails app
28th August 2020
You can now enjoy the three core trails on the free Plymouth Trails app using the audio option at each stop.
The trails are voiced by Suzy Bennett, who was the successful applicant after an open call for authentic Plymouth voices. The process saw 34 people send in test readings, and the team were impressed by some fantastic voices. The applicants’ experience ranged from none to professional voiceover artists. After shortlisting and tests via video call, Suzy, a local stand-up comedian, came out on top.
Suzy said “I heard about the Plymouth Trail Voiceover opportunity when my Mum forwarded me an email from Plymouth City Council advertising the role. Straight away I said ‘I’d love to do that!’. I have lived away from Plymouth for years, even overseas, but always kept my strong Plymothian accent and people often commented on how warm and friendly my dialect is. I love Plymouth and was excited to become a small part of this new venture.”
Suzy is used to using her voice in front of an audience, and has done radio work, but this was her first voiceover work. The audio was recorded over a few days in a local studio owned by Fresh Air Group, who supported Suzy through the process. “In my role as a stand-up comedian I never use scripts, I speak freely and often improvise. I enjoyed the challenge of reading someone else’s words and thinking about how to interpret and make it interesting for the listener. Some of the information was fun and light hearted, but of course there are parts of history telling stories of hardship and tragedy and it was important to convey the appropriate tone.”
The Plymouth Trails launched in July 2020 and the app has had over 1,900 users to date. It is free to download and has been designed with both locals and tourists in mind.
Suzie had to read each stop out loud at least three times, so now knows more about her hometown than she anticipated! “Voicing the Plymouth Trails has been an education for me. I was fascinated to learn just how much the amazing people of Plymouth united to rebuild after the blitz and what a huge task it was. Also, I realised there is so much more to find out about the historical figures associated with Plymouth and I now pay more attention to the statues and monuments I had passed by regularly, but hadn’t really thought about before.”
The trails are full of stories and facts that many Plymothians are unaware of. “I loved the fact that, when rebuilt, Dingles was noted as having the first escalator in the Westcountry! As a mark of respect I made the effort to pronounce it correctly and not as ‘Dingoes’ as that is how it is normally referred to by this Janner!”
You can download the app now on Android or iOS. For more information, please see visitplymouth.co.uk/trails.
During the development and delivery of the Plymouth Trails project, the team were keen to work with local groups and suppliers where possible. These included Fresh Air Group, PADAN (Plymouth Area Disability Action Network), Cornerstone Heritage, Gammaray Creative, Loci Collective, Mutant Labs and Atlantic Translations among others. It was important to make sure that as much money stayed within Plymouth as possible, something that the wider council is embracing in its Spend4Plymouth initiative.
The Plymouth Trails project was made possible with financial support from Plymouth City Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Great Western Railway, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership. Mayflower 400 and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.