A novel connection: bringing Dickens’ Broadstairs stories to life

A connection made through konfer brought Canterbury Christ Church University and Gazooky together to create an accessible digital trail uncovering the people, places and lesser-known stories behind Dickens’ Broadstairs.

Research into Charles Dickens and the people around him is reaching audiences beyond the university through a new digital trail in Broadstairs. Created by Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and Gazooky following a connection through NCUB’s konfer platform, the trail explores the famous author’s relationship with the town, alongside less familiar stories about the people he met, the places he visited and the impact he had.

Finding the right partner

CCCU wanted to explore how to bring the rich local heritage to new audiences. The ambition was there, but the team didn’t have a finished idea, the technical expertise to build it, or an obvious partner to approach.

“We knew we wanted to build ‘cool stuff’, but we didn’t necessarily know what that looked like or who we should be talking to,” explains Carolyn Oulton, Professor of Victorian Literature at CCCU. Carolyn’s research with her CCCU collaborator Dr Michelle Crowther explores Victorian literature and culture, including Dickens and his connections with Kent, providing a rich source of stories and historical material to draw on.

But turning that research into an interactive experience required a different kind of expertise.

konfer provided a way to find it. The platform opened the project up to organisations with relevant expertise and created a starting point for a conversation.

Through konfer, CCCU connected with Gazooky Studios, a digital innovation company with experience creating accessible, interactive experiences. Its previous work includes ChapARone, an accessible travel tool using augmented reality and AI to support passengers with disabilities.

For Carolyn, removing that initial barrier was key:

“We wouldn’t have known where to start looking for this kind of partnership, and cold calling would have been incredibly difficult when we couldn’t say exactly what we wanted to build. The beauty of konfer was that it broke down that barrier immediately.”

Gazooky had also created a Dickens trail in London. Once the two teams started talking, an idea began to take shape: could that experience be reimagined for Broadstairs, drawing on CCCU’s research and the town’s relationship with Dickens?

Rather than starting with a fixed specification, the idea developed through the connection.

Dickens, and the people around him

The result is In Broadstairs with Dickens, a digital trail featuring ten stopping points around the town.

Visitors download the app through a QR code and follow the route in person. The trail can also be experienced virtually, opening it up to people who might not be able to visit Broadstairs or complete the physical route.

But this isn’t simply another retelling of Dickens’ life.

The trail looks at the people around him and some of the stories that are less often told. Drawing on research, local history and creative writing, it introduces visitors to figures including innkeepers, pilgrim guides and coastguards, as well as other local writers.

Actors also help bring the material to life, using anecdotes and extracts from Dickens’ letters to give visitors a sense of the writer and his relationship with the town.

“Dickens had a phenomenal impact on Broadstairs, but there are so many stories around that which don’t usually come out,” says Carolyn. “We wanted to bring those more off-centre stories to life for today’s audiences.”

Even the trail’s name draws on one of these other voices. In Broadstairs with Charles Dickens plays on local writer Thomas Frost’s In Kent with Charles Dickens.

Built with accessibility in mind

Accessibility was considered from the beginning. Gazooky developed the technology behind the experience, and also looked carefully at how people would actually use the trail. The physical route needed to be suitable for wheelchair users, as well as safe and practical for visitors to follow.

Offering a virtual version means people can also explore the stories without physically completing the route.

That fits with CCCU’s wider ambition for the project: to take stories that might otherwise remain in archives, books or local memories and bring them to life for today’s audiences in a more accessible format.

A connection that made the difference

Once the trail had taken shape, the value of that initial introduction through konfer became clear. Gazooky agreed to develop and deliver the project, giving CCCU access to technical expertise that it could not otherwise have funded. Carolyn is now looking for funding to support the trail’s ongoing maintenance.

For Carolyn, the difference konfer made is simple: without the connection with Gazooky, the trail would not exist.

“We had neither the know-how nor the funding to build something like this ourselves. The trail simply wouldn’t exist without that connection. konfer made 100% of the difference in enabling us to deliver something like this.”

Taking the stories beyond the project

The team is now working to get the trail in front of more people. Posters and tote bags carrying its QR code are being shared through the local community, including with schools and bookshops, and the team is exploring how to increase its visibility through tourism channels such as Tripadvisor.

There is a wider opportunity too. With coastal destinations looking at ways to attract visitors beyond the traditional summer season, experiences such as the Dickens trail can give people another reason to discover Broadstairs and its history throughout the year.

Most importantly, the trail offers a different way into that history. Dickens remains at its heart, but the experience makes room for the people around him and the lasting impact he had on the town.

A partnership with more to come

The relationship between CCC and Gazooky hasn’t ended with the trail. The two are continuing discussions around potential future projects, and Carolyn is confident they will work together again.

What began as a connection through konfer has developed into a working relationship combining academic research and local knowledge with digital expertise and accessible design.

And in Broadstairs, that connection has produced something tangible: a new way for people to discover Dickens and hear some of the stories that are usually easier to miss.

Explore konfer to find the expertise and partners that can help bring your next idea to life.