A NEW interactive trail telling the story of a secret wartime airbase via the medium of poetry has been launched at Croome, near Pershore.

Celebrity poet and writer Lemn Sissay MBE opened the trail, dubbed Under the Radar, at the official launch for the National Trust, which owns Croome Court.

It tells the story of RAF Defford, which was built on part of the Croome estate during the Second World War, and which was involved with the top-secret development of radar.

Creating the trail involved the input of over 90 pupils from the nearby St Barnabas First and Middle School in Drakes Broughton, who were invited to Croome to meet experts in the history of the airfield and learn about its fascinating story.

They then came up with new ideas to tell the story, and collaborating with poets Kurly McGeachie and Maggie Doyle, together they developed the audio trail.

The trail, which takes visitors around the restored 1940s sick quarters of the airbase, tells the story of Croome during the second world war through poetry.

The trail, partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, entails a search for a lost toy plane and families will follow the 1940s style listening pods which are dotted around the visitor centre to hear the clues. The trail takes about 15 minutes to complete and concludes in the RAF-themed play area.

"Our new poetry trail is really is poetry in motion," said Rachel Sharpe, Croome’s local partnerships officer. "It's been so exciting being part of such an innovative project, working directly with school children to create a new visitor experience for children and families. It was a real pleasure working with the children and the poets who have created an innovative experience that I’m sure everyone will enjoy. This is community engagement on a whole new level."