As part of this year’s Heritage Open Days Festival, enjoy a heritage audio trail along Midsomer Norton High Street.

Myths and Memories of Midsomer Norton High Street is a fun and immersive self-guided sound walk around twelve landmark locations in the Town Centre, created by local people as part of the Midsomer Norton Cultural Programme.

The trail offers a journey of discovery from medieval times to the present day. You will learn about Midsomer Norton’s distinctive history as a market town, industry hub, entertainment hotspot, and lots more. Get to know some of the people who made the High Street what it is today – including the man who founded the Market Hall, and a grieving mother with a passion for improving access to clean water.

Producers Somer Valley FM collaborated with prominent local historians Nick Waton and Monica Evans to curate the trail. Radio trainees aged 15-16 from Sound Vision Charity, alongside members of the Merriman Theatre Group aged 11-18, worked with Bristol actor Emily Thompson to create soundscapes of imagined voices and dialogues from across time.

The trail is free and will be available to listen to from 8th September onwards at www.midsomernortonaudiotrails.co.uk. You will need your personal device and a set of headphones.

The trail is launching as part of Midsomer Norton Heritage Open Days, a free town-wide celebration of history and culture which takes place 8-17 September.

Two special events are taking place at Midsomer Norton Community Trust’s hub at Unit 14, 14 South Road, in celebration of the trail. On 12 September, local historians present High Street Heroes Through History, an evening of talks about some iconic local characters. On 16 September, Discover Midsomer Norton High Street at a pop-up market featuring music, craft stalls, hot and cold refreshments, and free corn crafting and postcard-making workshops by Susan Burnett and Somer Printing. You’ll also have the opportunity to borrow an MP3 player to experience the audio trail, and book onto a tour of the Town Hall Transformation Project.

Midsomer Norton Community Trust’s Engagement Coordinator, Beth Whalley, said:

“Nick Waton and Monica Evans, alongside a group of wonderfully talented young people, have done Midsomer Norton proud in creating an engaging audio experience for visitors to our town. It can be easy to forget all the wonderful stories we have right on our doorstep – I would encourage everyone to take a listen and experience Midsomer Norton from a new perspective.”

Other local Heritage Open Days events include:

· Midsomer Norton Methodist Church – Visit the church and enjoy a photographic display (8, 11, 12, 15 Sept, 10am-12pm)

· Midsomer Norton Town Park – Family nature and heritage walk with Somer Valley Rediscovered in partnership with Somer Valley Walking Festival (9 Sept, 10am-1.30pm)

· St John the Baptist Church – Church tower tours and bell ringing taster (10 Sept 2-5pm; 13 Sept 7.30-9pm)

· Waterside Valley – Evening bat walk with Somer Valley Rediscovered (12 Sept, 7.30-9.30pm)

· Downside Abbey – Special tours of the house and gardens (14 Sept, 10.30am-3.30pm)

Everything is free but some activities need to be booked in advance. To explore the event programme and booking information, visit https://www.yourmidsomernorton.co.uk/hod.

Midsomer Norton Heritage Open Days is being coordinated by Midsomer Norton Community Trust and the Midsomer Norton Cultural Consortium as part of the town’s High Street Heritage Action Zone project, funded by Historic England.