Tyla

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Not now
OK
Advert
Advert
Advert

Young Mother Praises Location App What3words For Saving Her Life

Lisa McLoughlin

Published 
| Last updated 

Young Mother Praises Location App What3words For Saving Her Life

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash

A young mother has told how new smartphone app What3words saved her life after an evening forest walk went wrong.

Jess Tinsley, 24, had planned to go for a five-mile circular walk around Hamsterley Forest, County Durham with two of her pals on Sunday, 11th August.

Loading…

But after three hours, the trio, who hadn't walked the woodland before, became concerned that they had not come to the end of one of the marked trails and had lost phone signal.

Advert

Realising they had ended up on the wrong route and without a clue where they were, the group searched for a clearing to get signal to call 101 for help.

While on the phone to the trio, a call operator quickly identified their need to download What3words app after they were unable to give their location.

The location app, which has divided the world into three metre squares, enables people to identify and share any precise location using a unique three-word code.

Jess with her two pals when they got lost in the woodland. Credit: Jess Tinsley
Jess with her two pals when they got lost in the woodland. Credit: Jess Tinsley
Advert
Credit: What3words
Credit: What3words

The home carer said she had never heard off the app but quickly downloaded it. After setting it up, Jess was able to tell the call handler the words, "kicked", "converged" and "soccer".

She was then told members of Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team were on their way to find them after they entered the code on their own GPS system. 90 minutes the trio were back at their Land Rover following the ordeal.

Speaking to the Northern Echo, she said: "I was so happy. When the call handler first told us to download the app I thought they were crazy but as soon as it was it only took a minute for them to pinpoint our location.

Advert
Credit: What3words
Credit: What3words

"I will never forget those three words and can't thank the police and mountain rescue team enough. They could not have been more hands on and helpful. They were absolutely brilliant."

The developers behind What3words have divided the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring three metre by three metre squares, and once broken down the app gives a unique three-word address.

Credit: What3words
Credit: What3words
Advert

The company was founded in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, who grew up on a farm in Hertfordshire - where one postcode covered multiple houses and he always struggled to get post to the right place.

Recently, the app has teamed up with Mercedes Benz, who have also included the location system in its cars. The incredible location technology is also now being used in 36 languages.

Although you need signal and access to 3G or Wifi to download the app initially, What3words doesn't need a phone signal to tell someone their three-word location.

Loading…

Advert

For more information about the app visit the website here.

Topics: Life News, Real, tech

Lisa McLoughlin
More like this
Advert
Advert
Advert

Chosen for YouChosen for You

Entertainment

EastEnders viewers left confused over ‘rushed’ Ben Mitchell exit as actor leaves show for good

an hour ago

Most Read StoriesMost Read

Conjoined twin Abby Hensel is now married

4 hours ago