Diverse City Trail aims to raise £10,000 to help people discover lesser-known parts of Portsmouth and promote climate action

Diverse City Trail is set to launch in Spring 2022 and will will run across Portsmouth with a range of stops along the route.

These stops consist of nature sights, historical and cultural locations, where trail participants will be able to scan QR codes to learn more about the local community.

The organisers hope there will be charity partners – and they hope their trail will promote climate action and help people discover lesser-known neighbourhoods in the city.

Organisers Steve Baker and Clair Martin have defended their project after receiving negative feedback, especially after they launched a £10,000 crowdfunding bid.

Clair, 44, said: ‘People are so angry but I invite them to think about what they are saying. People are so uneducated about what's going on in the city, our trail will educate people.’

Steve said: ‘Facing the backlash has been tough, those people have not looked at what we are actually doing.

‘There have been comments like "what a waste of money, we are just walking roads we already know” but what people don't understand is we are trying to change the world.’

The project is produced by Seek Good, a company born from a merger between Steve and Clair’s separate social enterprises.

Steve is the founder of The Good Company, which provides individual coaching to Community Interest Companies.

SEE MORE: Recruitment company in Portsmouth launches drive to hire more carers after industry shortage

Clair, an account manager for her family construction company, is the founder of Seekers Create, her second social enterprise after her first creation Seek Your Sparkle.

Steve, 46, said: ‘My inspiration for the project is to re-ignite investment into north Portsmouth, I want locals to pay attention to the things on our doorstep, not the place with the brightest lights.’

Clair, a mum of two, hopes the trail will bring a ‘spectrum of support for younger people and nature connectiveness.’

The webpages that appear when people scan the QR codes have been researched and created by volunteers, including pupils from Portsmouth Grammar school.

Along with the research provided by volunteers, each of the partners has been assigned a UN Sustainable Goal to promote.

Steve said: ‘I hope the trail will teach people about the goals and how they affect people on a local level, the content of the trail illustrates the reality of what the UN Sustainable Goals jargon is.’

For more go to crowdfunder.co.uk/portsmouth-diverse-city-trail/rewards or email [email protected]