Life-sized BRICKLIVE Ocean Trail launches in Stirling

A fascinating trail featuring life-sized brick models of sea creatures arrives in Stirling this week.

Go Forth Stirling BID has brought the BRICKLIVE Ocean tour – a toy brick trail showcasing fish, crabs, squid, turtles and more – to the city centre to entertain residents and visitors during the Easter school holidays and beyond.

The free Ocean Trail and an interactive experience will run from Friday March 29^th until Sunday April 21^st with some of the amazing characters taking pride of place in the Thistles which is partnering with Go Forth on the initiative.

More life-sized models can be found by following the trail around the city and visiting Stirling’s wide range of retailers and the historic Stirling Arcade.

There are 13 sculptures, including a sea turtle, mako shark, squid, octopus, moray eel, spider crab and coral reef, created from more than 300,000 toy bricks to be discovered in locations around Stirling.

Danielle McRorie-Smith, Project Director at Go Forth Stirling, said: “The Easter school holidays are fast approaching and we’re delighted to offer the city this fascinating family event which will be enjoyed not just by children but people of all ages.

Three years ago, we brought the BRICKLIVE Fantasy Kingdom tour to Stirling and that proved a remarkable success. Now we are excited to see the Ocean tour which demonstrates the incredible diversity of life in the Earth’s oceans and highlights environmental issues which could threaten their existence.

The trail brings important sea life and habitat facts to life in a fun environment and showcases the amazing creatures we share the planet with.

It’s also a great opportunity for people to see what Stirling has to offer and to visit some of our wonderful independent shops, attractions and cafes as they follow the BRICKLIVE Ocean Trail around the city.”

Gary Turnbull, Centre Director at Thistles, said: “We are delighted to welcome the amazing builds from BRICKLIVE’s Ocean tour to Thistles, Stirling this Easter.

Our guests of all ages are invited to come and view the giant squid, turtle, mako shark and octopus who have washed ashore in the mall as well as have fun building their own creations at our giant brick pit.”

The Ocean Trail is free, however, there are small costs related to some additional activities linked to the event.

The Go Forth team has created an interactive experience supported by the app Deckle, which is free to download, and users can pay £2 to access a game called The Incredible Race which features the Ocean Trail sea creatures.

The storyline takes users into a world beneath the waves where they join Shelly Shark on an adventure and help her build the confidence for her first migration. They can also collect clues to uncover where her final destination will be.

The adventure takes them along with Shelly through the city centre to learn all about the ocean’s inhabitants and there will be opportunities to share their experiences and photos on social media using the hashtag #BRICKLIVEStirling.

There will be face painting sessions at the Thistles on various dates which cost £4 per person and should be booked in advance via a dedicated BRICKLIVE page on the Go Forth website – www.goforthstirling.co.uk/bricklive

The Thistles will also host a brick pit where youngsters can enjoy creating their very own sculptures.

Stirling’s businesses will also be organising additional events and offering discounts during the Ocean Trail weeks including a family Game Night at Common Ground Games, crafts and storytelling at Central Library and sea-themed movies at the Tolbooth.

Meanwhile, Port Street gift shop Clan Artisan is offering visitors the chance to create their own sea creature themed artwork which can be added to mugs, t-shirts, postcards or water bottles. And every child who creates a design will receive a free sea creature inspired greeting card to colour in.

A map and more details about the Ocean Trail and linked events will be available on the Go Forth website – www.goforthstirling.co.uk

Go Forth Stirling BID (Business Improvement District) was set up in 2017 and currently represents more than 600 local businesses with a key objective of delivering projects and services which improve Stirling’s trading environment to benefit businesses, shoppers and visitors.