Pokemon Go takes off at RAF Cosford Museum

The RAF Museum in Cosford is encouraging gamers taking on Pokemon Go to use the site to find the digital creatures and collect supplies

The museum is known for its remarkable aircraft collection but alongside these exhibits it now houses 11 PokeStops, a PokeGym and numerous characters from the game that has taken the world by storm.

The museum has a PokeGym directly in front of the Lockheed Hercules aircraft,

Pokestops, where users can collect new Pokeballs to catch Pokemon with, are in the hangars and next to external aircraft displays including the Bristol Britannia and the Hawker Siddeley Hunter.

RAF Museum Cosford public relations executive Michelle Morgans said: "Since Pokemon Go launched in the UK we have noticed a number of visitors playing the game here at Cosford; as a free museum, they are most welcome to come and search for their favourite characters. Pokemon have been popping up across the site and we are discovering new ones every day."

Keen player and RAF Museum Cosford apprentice Jack Rogers said: "I have been playing Pokemon for close on 14 years and I have never been so happy seeing so many people enjoying it and interacting with one another.

"The museum is such a nice environment for the game, being able to enjoy both the museum and a great destination to play Pokemon Go. If anybody wishes to challenge the gym here at Cosford, you'll have to get through me!"

With the summer holidays starting the museum is anticipating lots of younger visitors will be engrossed by the Pokemon phenomenon during their visit.

Meanwhile Steve Millington, a self-labelled Pokemon nerd, might have scored the first gold medal in Telford, signifying the capture of more than 100 different kinds of the digital critters.

The 24-year-old Co-op team manager said he wasn't sure about downloading the hugely popular app but soon became hooked after seeing his friends playing.

He said: "I'm on a Facebook group based around Pokemon Go in Telford. We compare progress and I've not found anyone yet that's got this high a number of Pokemon.

"I've put in a lot of hours. A lot of the time I'll put my phone on in the background, then I'll wait for a buzz to let me know there's something around while I'm walking.

"I didn't think as many people would be playing it as there seems to be. Everyone is on their phone playing."

He added: "I think it's the nostalgia effect. It reminds me of when I was a kid, the first time I played it on Game Boy. It's different – it gets people out.

"Instead of playing PlayStation, me and my mates might go for a wander round the town park now."