A site of huge religious historical importance in the Wirral is meeting the digital world through a new educational initiative funded by the National Lottery and Association of Independent Museums.
, a site over 870 years old which also finds itself credited with the first ferry 'cross the Mersey' is being digitalised as part of an educational initiative from the Wirral council in collaboration with schools and religious communities across Wirral and wider Liverpool City Region. £11,600 was secured from the two funding streams, and will go towards things such as creating a 3D virtual tour of the Priory and other learning resources for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 school children.
The purpose of the initiative is not only to teach the children about different faiths, but to provide them with an 'access point for thinking about different faith histories in the area', says the council, as well as to help foster "tolerance, acceptance and understanding of different faith narratives in our community from an early age".
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Emily Greaves, ward councillor for Birkenhead and Tranmere at the Wirral Council, said:
"It's a really good thing that younger children will be presented with a different avenue to be able to understand and learn about different religions. It opens more doors for them, especially young children who are more visual so it will help with their understanding in that sense too.
"It's a brilliant idea and giving this technology and putting a different spin on it and maybe generating a bit more attention than it would if it was done in a different way. It's giving local people different opportunities to open different doors and be open to different minds and its great that this funding has been allocated.
"As a mum myself I think its really important. What they're taught in schools is all taught on paper and they've kept the same curriculum for quite a while now, and they've stuck to the same thing but there's so many religions out there."
Earlier inhabitants of the Priory, which was first built in 1150, oversaw the first regulated ferry 'cross the Mersey'. But now it is surrounded by factories and ship yards, and occasionally, depending on the time of year, if you exit the Priory to the East you may find yourself looking onto the Poop deck of a large military vessel.
Yet, even though the are surrounding is now built up, the Priory remains a calming safe haven for locals and visitors both. It also shares its site with the tower of St Mary's, the first parish church of Birkenhead.
