Man wins mystery Nottingham trig pillar contest
When Wollaton undergraduate Umair Ali woke up thinking about visiting a Nottingham park he’d ridden through and walked many times before – he’d never dreamed he’d be £1,000 richer as a result.
Yet that is exactly what happened when Umair went up to Stapleford Hill near Bramcote Hills Park.
Umair won a £1,000 prize after guessing where the Stapleford Hill trig pillar was located and getting outside to visit it.
Umair (19), who studies at the University of Salford, took part in a new Ordnance Survey ‘Touch Grass’ mystery trig pillar competition.
Social media influencer Max Khadar posted a series of clues on his Instagram stories about the whereabouts of OS’s trig pillar, and Umair – who follow’s Max’s account – deduced it was a familiar spot in Nottingham.
When Umair arrived at the trig pillar, he was greeted by Max and a film crew. He shouted “Touch Grass” as he touched it, setting off confetti cannons and bagging £1,000 in cash for being the first person to guess it right.
It was welcome news for outdoor enthusiast Umair, who rides and walks around Bramcote Hills Park regularly.
He said: “I’m buzzing man, it's a good win. I was literally just walking around, saw the clues and messages and I was like "you're lying" because I know this area inside-out. It’s got a great bike trail so I love going there and getting fresh air.
“I just thought it was worth heading over to take a look. I’ve never won £1,000 before just for going on a walk! It makes me want to get outside more and keep doing what I’m doing.”
For four Saturdays during August, OS is broadcasting a livestream from mystery trig pillars somewhere in England across OS’s social media platforms – Instagram, TikTok and Twitch - to spark a race to find it.
Each weekend a different trig pillar has been selected for the livestream and throughout the morning clues will be shared on social media, to help identify its location.
The first person to arrive at the trig pillar and shout “Touch Grass” to the camera will receive a £1,000 prize.
The aim of the competition is to encourage everyone in the UK to stop doom scrolling social media feeds and take action to get outside instead.