RE-ENACTMENTS of the Battle of Bannockburn will be made more autism-friendly after it was announced that they will be silenced.
The National Trust for Scotland is planning to create "calmer ambiences" at the Bannockburn visitor centre to ensure that the daily recreations do not exclude people with autism and those alarmed by loud noises.
This will include muting the thundering of hooves and sword clashes.
India Divers, learning officer at the centre, said the change was to make the centre as inclusive as possible.
She said: “Our experience has a real immersive nature.
“It’s dark like a cinema and there are 3D scenes all around you of soldiers training and fighting in battle. There are sound effects that go along with that.
"It is fantastic for most visitors but for some others, with additional support needs, it can be overwhelming.”
The autism-friendly tours will also reduce capacity from 30 to 15 and change the rules of interactive games.
Divers said: “In the 3D experiences we have a battle game. The idea is to encourage people to make tactical decisions under a time limit. Again, that can be quite overwhelming for people with autism, so we are going to make it a bit more relaxed so people can have a bit more time.
“We will also have a quiet space available so if anybody wants to leave at any time there’s a quiet place where they can go to relax and chill out. We will be keeping the engagement and the learning but in a way that caters for people who don’t like loud noises and things like that.”
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