Card game set to help Boston come up trumps

The Historic Boston Trumps cards highlights more than 60 historic locations around the town.

And it is hoped that the pioneering game – based on the Top Trumps card games – will spread the word about Boston far and wide.

Places featured on the cards include Boston Stump, Blackfriars Theatre, The Guildhall, and Fydell House.

Launched in partnership between Boston Big Local and Heritage Lincolnshire’s Boston Townscape Heritage Project along with the Boston Preservation Trust, the cards will retail for £4.99 a pack.

They will be sold by charities and charitable organisations around the town – with the money going directly back to the outlet selling them as part of the fundraising side of the project.

Matt Bentley of the Boston Townscape Heritage Project said it was believed to be the only town-based card game of its kind.

He said the idea originated with Boston Big Local’s Richard Tory who was looking for ways to promote Boston in a way that was accessible to the widest amount of people.

After coming up with the idea he contacted Matt and the Boston Preservation Trust at Fydell House to see if they were interested in partnering on the scheme.

Matt said: “We just thought it’s a fantastic idea because it opens up opportunities for such a wider audience. Heritage related activities are very much restricted - we tend to have our captive audience, but what we are always trying to do is open up that audience to those harder to reach groups.

“We thought was a really good opportunity to do that and increase engagement, but also to showcase the fantastic historic buildings we have.”

He said he was very hopeful it would encourage young people along with their parents and grandparents to get involved.

“And what a great opportunity to advertise the town. It’s a small pocket size thing which people can walk around the town with and find various buildings.”

Venues that will be selling the cards include Boston Stump, the Guildhall, Blackfriars, the Butterfly Hospice, Centenary Methodist Church, the We’ll Meet Again Museuem, and Age UK. They will also be available online through Heritage Lincs.

The first run has seen 1,000 packs printed, but Matt says they are already looking at a second run because of the interest they’d already had.

“We’ve had a really good response on social media with people inquiring from as far afield as Australia as to how they can get hold of packs of these cards,” he said.

Matt said that while local people were aware of how historic Boston is, he hoped the game would showcase the town to a wider audience.

“We are hoping is that these unique cards will highlight the town and get people talking about it and then hopefully if they see it they will look at Boston and see that it is a town worth exploring and discovering,” he said.

“ We usually find when people get to Boston they are overwhelmed by its architecture and its buildings and irs history but getting them here in the first place is the tricky part.”

The launch event at Fydell House today (Wednesday) will offer people the first opportunity to buy the cards before they go on general sale tomorrow (Thursday). The event will be a drop in session with information available on various heritage organisations, and refreshments will be available.

There will also be two tours today and one tomorrow by Boston History Tours running, which are free of charge but must be booked in advance. More details and booking information at the Boston History Tours Facebook page