Look out for #forestlife – highlighting events, activities and experiences throughout The National Forest.
the National Forest Company bath Yard, Moira, swadlincote, Derbyshire DE12 6bA T: 01283 551211 E: enquiries@nationalforest.org W: www.nationalforest.org
Derby
Burton upon Trent
Birmingham
ForestScene sUMMER 2016
Nottingham Leicester
Swadlincote Ashby de la Zouch
Large print version available Tel: 01283 551211
Coalville
Events JuNe
July 1 – 3 National Forest Folk Festival, 01676 540219 10 Ashby show, Cattows Farm, Heather, 01283 229225 16 Dinosaurs Awaken. National Forest Adventure Farm maize maze opens, 01283 533933 16 – 4 sept The search for secret Water: new family trail at stoneywell, 01530 248048 31 – 7 aug Heather scarecrow Festival, heatherscarecrow@gmail.com
august 6 – 7 Medieval fighting knights at Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0370 333 1181 12 – 14 bloodstock, Catton Hall Estate, www.bloodstock.uk.com 13 – 14 Ashby & Willesley Vintage Festival, Moira Furnace, info@ashbywillesleyvintagefestival.co.uk 16 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0870 333 1183 29 Leicestershire County Council Countryside show beacon Hill Country Park, www.leicscountryparks.org.uk
septeMBeR 9 sep – 8 oct Melbourne Festival, www.melbournefestival.co.uk
oCtoBeR 3 – 9 Windsor Chair-making 7-day course, Greenwood Days, 01332 864529 14 – 16 swadlincote International Food & Drink Festival, 01283 222848
>>
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
Charitable status for the NFC and a new partnership with Forest holidays The new partnership will encourage Forest Holidays’ customers to make a donation to support The National Forest when booking a holiday in one of the forest lodges. All donations will be used to help the work of creating and developing The National Forest, transforming the landscape, economy and communities across its 200 square miles. Bruce McKendrick, Chief Executive of Forest Holidays, said: “Forest Holidays is delighted to have formed a new partnership with the National Forest Company.
We already contribute millions of pounds a year to support woodlands right across the UK and our whole team were massively keen to support this project which is not only local to our offices in Moira but has such national significance. The National Forest is visionary and on its 25 year anniversary it’s clear it has succeeded in creating a forest in one of the least wooded areas of the country, proving that sustainable investment has widereaching benefits. Forest Holidays absolutely shares The National Forest's aims of bringing
When is a woodland a classroom?
communities together, improving habitats and ecosystems and supporting visitor, woodland and recreational economies. We are partners with the Forestry Commission and based exclusively on their land across the UK, and our guests care about supporting the UK’s forest environments. Now they have a chance to contribute towards this amazing project every time they book.”
Many schools are interested in taking learning outdoors, but what features make a woodland work best as an outdoor classroom? The young woodlands in The National Forest, now approaching first thinnings, make an ideal place for educators and woodland owners to find out more about how best to manage a woodland, to make it an effective and inspirational place where children and young people can learn.
For more information on Forest holidays see www.forestholidays.co.uk
CREATING A REsILIENT FOREsT this winter saw substantial work at the NFC’s Nanpantan Road site, where a new woodland has been created using a different kind of planting mix designed to be more resilient to climate change. The work on this important new site has been made possible by the English Woodland Grant Scheme and is supported by corporate partners including the largest sponsor on this site, James Latham. Although it is principally a large new native woodland, a small element of mixed conifers has been included, partly to reflect the wider landscape (which features the magnificent Scots pine) but mainly to increase diversity and promote longer term resilience of the woodland. Here you will find a selection of species, all recommended for their likely resilience in the longer term in relation to increasing climatic variation, such as Silver Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Serbian Spruce, Deodar and Japanese Red Cedar. The species being trialled were chosen based on the Forestry Commission Ecological Site Classification model which shows suitability of species for planting in different parts of the UK.
>> >> page 5
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Simon West, Head of Forestry for NFC, said: “in the future we hope to use this site as a demonstration of the use of alternative species for future woodland creation in the Forest. We have also begun to use species such as silver fir to underplant areas of ash on some of our sites, as the ash is likely to die out in the short to medium term. again, we would like to use such areas to demonstrate to other owners and managers options for managing their own areas of ash planting that may be similarly affected in the future.” Resilience is of increasing concern in forest creation and species choice within forestry across the country, and the work taking place in The National Forest adds to the bank of knowledge and practical experience that the NFC can offer the industry. Other corporate partners supporting forest creation on this site include PrimoIT and Eursap.
Forest Scene online Let us know if you would prefer to read Forest scene online and help us save paper and postage. Email forestscene@nationalforest.org Thank you!
hip hip huRRay –
BBC Radio 4’s Open Country visits the NatioNal FoRest
Over the past year, the NFC has been working with the Sylva Foundation to offer training for educators and woodland owners on the mutual benefits of managing woodlands together.
use such as a fire pit, shelter or climbing trees, and note any management activities or tasks needed in relation to how the features or areas are to be used. Working together in this way has seen sites develop from uninviting, impenetrable woodland to places where children can feel safe to explore and learn. Sue Anderson, Community Liaison Officer for the NFC, said: “Bringing woodland owners and educators together to discuss the value of managing woodlands for education and providing practical support has been invaluable. these enjoyable, informal sessions have helped us develop our woodland network locally.”
Open Country presenter Helen Mark joined one of The National Forest’s twice-yearly Plant a Tree events, and proudly planted ‘the Open Country oak tree’. She spoke with some of the hundreds of other people from all over the country planting trees to remember loved ones or to celebrate a happy event. She said: “Proud that I am as an individual to be able to plant an oak tree for Open Country, I get a real sense – and through hearing other people talk - that what I’m putting in the ground here has a much
The training sessions and sites within The National Forest will be the basis for further work by the NFC and its partners. www.nationalforest.org/ involved/education/ During the sessions the groups visit woodlands and hear from the landowners and groups that use the site about how the activity and management can work hand in hand.
Rosliston Forestry Centre will be offering an outdoor learning course on 28 June, for teachers and educators to get the most out of Learning Outside the Classroom.
The Sylva Foundation has developed an online planning tool, myForest for Education, which helps participants record their site, marking habitats, water features, areas of specific
Find out more here: http://www.lotc.org.uk/ news-and-events/ clotc-events-training/ meaningful-learning/
]
You can now find The National Forest on Facebook, and we tweet @NatForestCo
>> page 6
Helen Mark interviewing National Forest supporter John Swanwick
18 Father’s Day special with Field sports UK, Ashby de la Zouch, 07973 115769 18 – 19 Catton Park Horse Trials, 01283 716311 25 Armed Forces Day, National Memorial Arboretum, 01283 245100 25 – 26 south Derbyshire Festival of Leisure, 01283 595846
She also interviewed volunteers in the Forest, Forest businesses and supporters. Helen was moved by what she heard: “it’s amazing to hear the impact the National Forest has on the lives of people who live and work here.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b076mptd
things to do along the National Forest Way Throughout the year we’ll be highlighting things to do and experiences to enjoy.
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for 25 things you can see and do along the 75-mile long distance walking trail.
www.nationalforest.org
Photographs courtesy of Christopher Beech; Darren Cresswell; Danny Green/2020VISION; Jacqui Rock; Black to Green; Forest Holidays.
The National Forest Company is now a charity, opening up an exciting new era for The National Forest. Receiving charitable status is a significant development and will enable new ways of working to create and develop the Forest.
bigger part to play in a huge picture of landscape renewal through nature. It’s great to be part of it.”
You can listen to the stories Helen uncovered by downloading the podcast from the BBC website:
25
CELEbRATING 25 YEARs OF THE NATIONAL FOREsT!
CHARITAbLE sTATUs FOR THE NFC
Celebrate by sharing what the Forest means to you the National Forest, the boldest environmentally-led regeneration project in the country, reaches its first quarter century this year and we want you to help us at the National Forest Company celebrate.
HOW YOU CAN TAKE PART:
Through ‘My National Forest’ we invite you to share with us just what the Forest means to you: what is important about the Forest, what do you love about it? Where are the places you visit and revisit? What difference has the transformation of the landscape – the trees, the woodlands, the businesses, the activities in the Forest – made to your life?
Send us words about the Forest by email to mynationalforest@nationalforest.org
Please send us your images, video, music or words. We’re hoping to capture a snapshot of the Forest in this its 25th year, and build up a resource that reflects the personal or quirky, the landscape or surroundings, to illustrate what the Forest means to people who live, work and visit here.
Please post images to: www.nationalforest.org/mynationalforest or to our Flickr gallery My National Forest
We’ll be posting these to the My National Forest blog. Post video or music to YouTube and send us the link by email (address above) Then keep an eye on the galleries and blog as they grow, and let’s discover together what The National Forest means to people today.
thank you for your contributions – we can’t wait to see them!
John Everitt, the National Forest Company Chief Executive, said: “achieving charitable status is a major milestone for the National Forest Company and sets us up for the next 25 years of the National Forest project. the Company will continue to be at the forefront of environmental regeneration, and moving to charitable status will enable us to be more entrepreneurial, innovative and flexible in our work.” On the back of securing charitable status, the NFC has signed up a new partnership with Forest Holidays, an organisation which works exclusively on Forestry Commission sites, specialising in luxury short breaks in woodland settings across the country, and has its headquarters in the heart of The National Forest.
>>
READ MORE ON PAGE 5
The National Forest – transforming 200 square miles of central England
loCal FiRM plaNts FiRM FoRest FouNdatioNs
sUsTAINAbLE FOREsTRY
tree planting at the new Forest-themed hQ of Roger Bullivant ltd
sir William Worsley took up the post of Chair of the NFC on 1 april this year.
Engineering company Roger Bullivant Limited (RB) is moving into the heart of The National Forest, with impressive new headquarters at Walton Park, Swadlincote. The innovative foundation engineering company, which specialises in foundation and piling systems, has begun a relocation programme which will see the company relocate the whole of its UK headquarters to The National Forest.
I am delighted to be writing my first column as Chair of the National Forest Company. It is an honour to take the Chair of this great organisation and to see what has been achieved over the past 25 years. I have spent some time visiting the Forest, getting to know it and meeting people who live and work in it.
“To celebrate our move, we are pleased to announce support for the National Forest Way Ranger programme,” said Gary Farnell, RB managing director. “Our headquarters are only half a mile from the Swadlincote spur of the National Forest Way long distance walking trail, and we look forward to exploring the many and varied highlights of the Forest with friends and family.”
Welcome
From my base in the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire, there are massive contrasts, but also telling similarities. We have similar woodland cover but are a much more rural area with more mature woods and many more conifers. The key is the value of trees in the landscape and the benefits they bring. I get a great deal of pleasure in planting and looking after trees and woodlands and care deeply about my own woods. I believe they benefit the landscape and the communities who live in and around them.
I am very pleased that we have been awarded charitable status. This is a good achievement for the Forest and is suitable for what The National Forest now is. We have also recruited three new trustees: Tony ballance, suzanne Carr and Jack buckner. They bring a useful balance of skills and I welcome them onto the board. Our new partnership with Forest Holidays is a perfect example of how our new charitable status can help us be more flexible and innovative, and support the work that we have been doing for 25 years, and will continue to do, at the forefront of environmental regeneration. In finishing I should like to thank my predecessor Catherine GrahamHarrison who chaired the National Forest Company for the last five years and for the excellent job she did. I am excited to be part of The National Forest at this tremendous new stage for the Forest and the Company. Our 25th anniversary is a great milestone and one that we should all be proud of.
sir William Worsley, Chair, National Forest Company
>>
At the new RB headquarters: tree planting (inset); National Forest-themed reception area
WilliaM WoRsley, NeW ChaiR oF the NatioNal FoRest CoMpaNy
John Everitt, CEO of the National Forest Company, was delighted to welcome RB to the Forest. He said: “RB is a pioneering company and we hope their support will encourage others to appreciate the many benefits The National Forest provides to local businesses and their employees. Getting people out and about and leading healthier lives is good for us and good for business.”
it takes skill and tact to manage half a million visitors, 126 ha of woodland and around 400 deer. Bradgate Park, first enclosed as a deer park before 1241, is one of the most popular visitor spots in The National Forest, and is developing into a leading example of 21st century sustainable forestry. The majority of the Park’s woodlands are open to the deer but closed to the public. This means that the animals have space away from people, and the Park can employ different management techniques in different areas, such as leaving deadwood to decay naturally for the benefit of wildlife where there is no danger to the public from dead and dying trees.
This work produces firewood and charcoal, and stakes and binders that are used for laying hedges on the estate or sold. Ash and sweet chestnut are cleaved to produce
>> >> page 2
[
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, black to Green ran a tree felling session for special Needs Circle – East Midlands, a parent-led group offering support for families and carers of children with special or additional needs. The group spent a wonderful day in sarah’s Wood learning the basic principles of woodland management and having a go at felling trees using hand tools. A follow up session then took place at Catton Hall, where the group were able to transform the wood that they had felled into bird and bat boxes. They set to, sawing and splitting the timber, surrounded by the glorious bluebells of Catton estate, and created an array of new wildlife homes. some of the bird boxes will be installed in the families’ gardens with two set aside to return to sarah’s Wood. The bat boxes will be hung in the woodland and over the coming weeks the group will get the chance to use new bat detecting equipment to learn how to survey for bats.
test your stamina and determination with two exhilarating, exhausting and inspiring running events in the National Forest this summer! Stay on your feet for 24 hours in the Insomnia 24 event on 23 July, or run the National Forest Way 75 on 10 September. Either event can be run solo, in pairs or as a team relay. Insomnia 24 will be a family friendly event held at Cattows Farm, with free camping and entertainment all weekend. These are the first events to be organised here by Go Ultra Events, who are encouraging entrants to make a voluntary donation to the Forest. Director
Wayne Busby said: “We are very excited about The National Forest as a location for our events, and we hope our runners will be inspired to support it, enabling more people to enjoy doing what they love here, whether it’s running, walking or simply being in the great outdoors.” www.goultraevents.co.uk/events/
Funding from the National Forest Company has enabled training for Park staff so that most of the tree work is carried out in-house. The NFC has also grant-aided the purchase of a charcoal kiln and the start-up costs of the Young Ranger and Volunteer schemes.
Read more about Bradgate Park as a case study for The National Forest at www.nationalforest.org/docum ent/information/Bradgate parkCasestudy.pdf
FloWeRtastiC MiNi golF
Stewart Wills is a man who has spent his life travelling the world. Conscious that many hundreds of flights had stacked up a significant amount of 'carbon debt', he was inspired by articles in the press at the time of the Climate Change Conference in Paris last year, to contact the National Forest Company and discuss making a personal donation.
rails for use on the estate and any oak is milled locally for benches and other park furniture.
Simon West, Head of Forestry for the NFC, said: “Bradgate park may be a one-off in terms of the development of the National Forest, but it is almost the Forest in microcosm, with the interests of forestry and wildlife working alongside people. it’s great to see the trust continuing to invest in local skills and infrastructure, adding value to their produce which is sold locally.”
Whereas most woodland management in The National Forest involves young woodland, at Bradgate Park it’s a matter of thinning middle-aged trees, reestablishing coppice rotation and pollarding the parkland oak and sweet chestnut to produce the next generation of veteran trees.
iNteRNatioNal WoMeN’s day
WoRld tRavelleR oFFsets liFetiMe oF tRavel With doNatioN to the NatioNal FoRest
Deer numbers are kept constant through culling by Park staff and all processing is done on site. The Park supplies venison to local butchers, a farm shop and local restaurants.
The Park is also home to more than 500 veteran trees with the oldest being over 800 years old, each with its own management plan to ensure its longevity.
ULTRA RUNNING IN ash THE a passioN FoR NATIONAL FOREsT
black to Green has been working with Donisthorpe Youth Club on an innovative planting project, creating a wildflower meadow at Moira Furnace. To launch the meadow the young people came up with the idea of Flowertastic Mini Golf, which involved putting seed balls instead of regular golf balls. In preparation for the game, over 250 balls of clay, compost and wildflower seeds were made with members of the youth club and Donisthorpe Cubs. These were then distributed across the meadow with the help of over 90 players who took part in the activity during the Moira Furnace Fun Day. Many local residents took part, commenting on what an unusual idea the young people had come up with and what a unique opportunity it was to be involved in something that they will be able to watch develop and enjoy right on their doorstep. The meadow, which should include over 26 native wildflowers and grasses planted to attract bees and butterflies, is expected to flower this summer.
Mr Wills, who lives in Bowdon, Cheshire, wanted to ‘pay back’ the amount he has calculated to be more or less equivalent to the carbon debt from his travels thus far.
National Forest supporters lex autolease brought young people from stockport academy to work in the Forest for a day in the spring. They cleared ditches and carried out other woodland management tasks at Ulverscroft Manor in Charnwood, enhancing their STEM curriculum studies as well as having a great day out in very different surroundings.
He has made a substantial donation to the NFC to help create The National Forest. “Stewart’s generous gift is already making a difference, creating a new woodland grove,” explained Lynne Richards, Head of Fundraising for the NFC. “It is a creative and thoughtful way of offsetting his lifetime of travel in a very dynamic way.”
New NFC BoaRd The new charity has a new board of Trustees. At the inaugural meeting, they made time to get out and see some of the Forest.
Stewart Wills said: “As soon as one donates, something is planted in the ground and it starts working to pay back what is owed. I had been thinking about this for quite a while, but the time to do it is definitely now.”
From left: Jack buckner; Tony ballance; Roger Clarke; Chris Holmes; William Worsley; brian Mahony; suzanne Carr; John Everitt.
He continued: “I am not wanting to make an ideological statement; it simply feels like a very practical solution to the problem that modern travel presents. Planting trees helps to lock up carbon in the environment, as well as enabling all the other benefits trees provide: wildlife habitats, shelter, shade, taking up water and alleviating flooding, timber for manufacturing and fuel – not to mention their sheer beauty.
Staff from Lex Autolease are volunteering with Stockport Academy as part of Business in the Community to help prepare students for job interviews and the world of work.
You can become a Friend of The National Forest. Help us look after the woodlands, improve access to the Forest and provide inspiring environmental education projects for young people.
>> page 3
“I’d be very happy if this encouraged other people to make a donation to offset the travel in their lives.” if you are interested in discussing making a contribution to the Forest in this way, please contact lynne Richards on 01283 551211 or email lrichards@nationalforest.org
]
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loWeR BRooMBRiggs gets CaRBoN FuNdiNg the National Forest Company has set up a pilot Carbon scheme, which runs alongside its grant schemes, to encourage more landowners to create woodlands within the Forest. Since introducing the new scheme, the NFC has had a range of enquiries and two landowners who were successful applicants under Round 8 of the NFC Changing Landscapes Scheme have successfully applied to participate in the Carbon Scheme. One of these, Shane Hackett of Lower Broombriggs Farm, said: “We’re delighted to benefit from funding available under the National Forest Carbon scheme that’s helped us create a wonderful woodland here at lower Broombriggs.” This mixed broadleaf woodland, which was successfully created
plantatree to remember a loved one. Many people find comfort in planting a tree to remember and celebrate the life of a special person.
>> page 4
over the winter by Shane and his agent Chris Killingback, is in Charnwood, north west of Leicester. Over the course of the next 50 years and beyond, this new woodland will take up several hundred tonnes of carbon making an important contribution to helping combat climate change. Forest Carbon Ltd will register and verify the carbon and arrange for a carbon buyer on the landowner’s behalf. The Carbon Scheme is open for another 12 months, after which it will be reviewed by the National Forest Company and potentially extended. If you would like further details, please contact swest@nationalforest.org
]
>>
Newfields trail People in Moira have welcomed a new off-road trail that connects them with the walks, natural play area and extensive cycle trails at Hicks Lodge National Forest Cycle Centre. Local residents had put the new trail top of their list for developments in the area, and help from Forestry Commission volunteers plus funding from Lex Autolease and local housing developments made the new link possible.
Look out for more associated activities led by black to Green including scything workshops and pollinator surveys. www.facebook.com/blacktogreen. coalpitstotreetops/
[
Leave a legacy to The National Forest and create a green and living memory. see www.nationalforest.org/sponsor/legacy/
]
loCal FiRM plaNts FiRM FoRest FouNdatioNs
sUsTAINAbLE FOREsTRY
tree planting at the new Forest-themed hQ of Roger Bullivant ltd
sir William Worsley took up the post of Chair of the NFC on 1 april this year.
Engineering company Roger Bullivant Limited (RB) is moving into the heart of The National Forest, with impressive new headquarters at Walton Park, Swadlincote. The innovative foundation engineering company, which specialises in foundation and piling systems, has begun a relocation programme which will see the company relocate the whole of its UK headquarters to The National Forest.
I am delighted to be writing my first column as Chair of the National Forest Company. It is an honour to take the Chair of this great organisation and to see what has been achieved over the past 25 years. I have spent some time visiting the Forest, getting to know it and meeting people who live and work in it.
“To celebrate our move, we are pleased to announce support for the National Forest Way Ranger programme,” said Gary Farnell, RB managing director. “Our headquarters are only half a mile from the Swadlincote spur of the National Forest Way long distance walking trail, and we look forward to exploring the many and varied highlights of the Forest with friends and family.”
Welcome
From my base in the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire, there are massive contrasts, but also telling similarities. We have similar woodland cover but are a much more rural area with more mature woods and many more conifers. The key is the value of trees in the landscape and the benefits they bring. I get a great deal of pleasure in planting and looking after trees and woodlands and care deeply about my own woods. I believe they benefit the landscape and the communities who live in and around them.
I am very pleased that we have been awarded charitable status. This is a good achievement for the Forest and is suitable for what The National Forest now is. We have also recruited three new trustees: Tony ballance, suzanne Carr and Jack buckner. They bring a useful balance of skills and I welcome them onto the board. Our new partnership with Forest Holidays is a perfect example of how our new charitable status can help us be more flexible and innovative, and support the work that we have been doing for 25 years, and will continue to do, at the forefront of environmental regeneration. In finishing I should like to thank my predecessor Catherine GrahamHarrison who chaired the National Forest Company for the last five years and for the excellent job she did. I am excited to be part of The National Forest at this tremendous new stage for the Forest and the Company. Our 25th anniversary is a great milestone and one that we should all be proud of.
sir William Worsley, Chair, National Forest Company
>>
At the new RB headquarters: tree planting (inset); National Forest-themed reception area
WilliaM WoRsley, NeW ChaiR oF the NatioNal FoRest CoMpaNy
John Everitt, CEO of the National Forest Company, was delighted to welcome RB to the Forest. He said: “RB is a pioneering company and we hope their support will encourage others to appreciate the many benefits The National Forest provides to local businesses and their employees. Getting people out and about and leading healthier lives is good for us and good for business.”
it takes skill and tact to manage half a million visitors, 126 ha of woodland and around 400 deer. Bradgate Park, first enclosed as a deer park before 1241, is one of the most popular visitor spots in The National Forest, and is developing into a leading example of 21st century sustainable forestry. The majority of the Park’s woodlands are open to the deer but closed to the public. This means that the animals have space away from people, and the Park can employ different management techniques in different areas, such as leaving deadwood to decay naturally for the benefit of wildlife where there is no danger to the public from dead and dying trees.
This work produces firewood and charcoal, and stakes and binders that are used for laying hedges on the estate or sold. Ash and sweet chestnut are cleaved to produce
>> >> page 2
[
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, black to Green ran a tree felling session for special Needs Circle – East Midlands, a parent-led group offering support for families and carers of children with special or additional needs. The group spent a wonderful day in sarah’s Wood learning the basic principles of woodland management and having a go at felling trees using hand tools. A follow up session then took place at Catton Hall, where the group were able to transform the wood that they had felled into bird and bat boxes. They set to, sawing and splitting the timber, surrounded by the glorious bluebells of Catton estate, and created an array of new wildlife homes. some of the bird boxes will be installed in the families’ gardens with two set aside to return to sarah’s Wood. The bat boxes will be hung in the woodland and over the coming weeks the group will get the chance to use new bat detecting equipment to learn how to survey for bats.
test your stamina and determination with two exhilarating, exhausting and inspiring running events in the National Forest this summer! Stay on your feet for 24 hours in the Insomnia 24 event on 23 July, or run the National Forest Way 75 on 10 September. Either event can be run solo, in pairs or as a team relay. Insomnia 24 will be a family friendly event held at Cattows Farm, with free camping and entertainment all weekend. These are the first events to be organised here by Go Ultra Events, who are encouraging entrants to make a voluntary donation to the Forest. Director
Wayne Busby said: “We are very excited about The National Forest as a location for our events, and we hope our runners will be inspired to support it, enabling more people to enjoy doing what they love here, whether it’s running, walking or simply being in the great outdoors.” www.goultraevents.co.uk/events/
Funding from the National Forest Company has enabled training for Park staff so that most of the tree work is carried out in-house. The NFC has also grant-aided the purchase of a charcoal kiln and the start-up costs of the Young Ranger and Volunteer schemes.
Read more about Bradgate Park as a case study for The National Forest at www.nationalforest.org/docum ent/information/Bradgate parkCasestudy.pdf
FloWeRtastiC MiNi golF
Stewart Wills is a man who has spent his life travelling the world. Conscious that many hundreds of flights had stacked up a significant amount of 'carbon debt', he was inspired by articles in the press at the time of the Climate Change Conference in Paris last year, to contact the National Forest Company and discuss making a personal donation.
rails for use on the estate and any oak is milled locally for benches and other park furniture.
Simon West, Head of Forestry for the NFC, said: “Bradgate park may be a one-off in terms of the development of the National Forest, but it is almost the Forest in microcosm, with the interests of forestry and wildlife working alongside people. it’s great to see the trust continuing to invest in local skills and infrastructure, adding value to their produce which is sold locally.”
Whereas most woodland management in The National Forest involves young woodland, at Bradgate Park it’s a matter of thinning middle-aged trees, reestablishing coppice rotation and pollarding the parkland oak and sweet chestnut to produce the next generation of veteran trees.
iNteRNatioNal WoMeN’s day
WoRld tRavelleR oFFsets liFetiMe oF tRavel With doNatioN to the NatioNal FoRest
Deer numbers are kept constant through culling by Park staff and all processing is done on site. The Park supplies venison to local butchers, a farm shop and local restaurants.
The Park is also home to more than 500 veteran trees with the oldest being over 800 years old, each with its own management plan to ensure its longevity.
ULTRA RUNNING IN ash THE a passioN FoR NATIONAL FOREsT
black to Green has been working with Donisthorpe Youth Club on an innovative planting project, creating a wildflower meadow at Moira Furnace. To launch the meadow the young people came up with the idea of Flowertastic Mini Golf, which involved putting seed balls instead of regular golf balls. In preparation for the game, over 250 balls of clay, compost and wildflower seeds were made with members of the youth club and Donisthorpe Cubs. These were then distributed across the meadow with the help of over 90 players who took part in the activity during the Moira Furnace Fun Day. Many local residents took part, commenting on what an unusual idea the young people had come up with and what a unique opportunity it was to be involved in something that they will be able to watch develop and enjoy right on their doorstep. The meadow, which should include over 26 native wildflowers and grasses planted to attract bees and butterflies, is expected to flower this summer.
Mr Wills, who lives in Bowdon, Cheshire, wanted to ‘pay back’ the amount he has calculated to be more or less equivalent to the carbon debt from his travels thus far.
National Forest supporters lex autolease brought young people from stockport academy to work in the Forest for a day in the spring. They cleared ditches and carried out other woodland management tasks at Ulverscroft Manor in Charnwood, enhancing their STEM curriculum studies as well as having a great day out in very different surroundings.
He has made a substantial donation to the NFC to help create The National Forest. “Stewart’s generous gift is already making a difference, creating a new woodland grove,” explained Lynne Richards, Head of Fundraising for the NFC. “It is a creative and thoughtful way of offsetting his lifetime of travel in a very dynamic way.”
New NFC BoaRd The new charity has a new board of Trustees. At the inaugural meeting, they made time to get out and see some of the Forest.
Stewart Wills said: “As soon as one donates, something is planted in the ground and it starts working to pay back what is owed. I had been thinking about this for quite a while, but the time to do it is definitely now.”
From left: Jack buckner; Tony ballance; Roger Clarke; Chris Holmes; William Worsley; brian Mahony; suzanne Carr; John Everitt.
He continued: “I am not wanting to make an ideological statement; it simply feels like a very practical solution to the problem that modern travel presents. Planting trees helps to lock up carbon in the environment, as well as enabling all the other benefits trees provide: wildlife habitats, shelter, shade, taking up water and alleviating flooding, timber for manufacturing and fuel – not to mention their sheer beauty.
Staff from Lex Autolease are volunteering with Stockport Academy as part of Business in the Community to help prepare students for job interviews and the world of work.
You can become a Friend of The National Forest. Help us look after the woodlands, improve access to the Forest and provide inspiring environmental education projects for young people.
>> page 3
“I’d be very happy if this encouraged other people to make a donation to offset the travel in their lives.” if you are interested in discussing making a contribution to the Forest in this way, please contact lynne Richards on 01283 551211 or email lrichards@nationalforest.org
]
[
loWeR BRooMBRiggs gets CaRBoN FuNdiNg the National Forest Company has set up a pilot Carbon scheme, which runs alongside its grant schemes, to encourage more landowners to create woodlands within the Forest. Since introducing the new scheme, the NFC has had a range of enquiries and two landowners who were successful applicants under Round 8 of the NFC Changing Landscapes Scheme have successfully applied to participate in the Carbon Scheme. One of these, Shane Hackett of Lower Broombriggs Farm, said: “We’re delighted to benefit from funding available under the National Forest Carbon scheme that’s helped us create a wonderful woodland here at lower Broombriggs.” This mixed broadleaf woodland, which was successfully created
plantatree to remember a loved one. Many people find comfort in planting a tree to remember and celebrate the life of a special person.
>> page 4
over the winter by Shane and his agent Chris Killingback, is in Charnwood, north west of Leicester. Over the course of the next 50 years and beyond, this new woodland will take up several hundred tonnes of carbon making an important contribution to helping combat climate change. Forest Carbon Ltd will register and verify the carbon and arrange for a carbon buyer on the landowner’s behalf. The Carbon Scheme is open for another 12 months, after which it will be reviewed by the National Forest Company and potentially extended. If you would like further details, please contact swest@nationalforest.org
]
>>
Newfields trail People in Moira have welcomed a new off-road trail that connects them with the walks, natural play area and extensive cycle trails at Hicks Lodge National Forest Cycle Centre. Local residents had put the new trail top of their list for developments in the area, and help from Forestry Commission volunteers plus funding from Lex Autolease and local housing developments made the new link possible.
Look out for more associated activities led by black to Green including scything workshops and pollinator surveys. www.facebook.com/blacktogreen. coalpitstotreetops/
[
Leave a legacy to The National Forest and create a green and living memory. see www.nationalforest.org/sponsor/legacy/
]
loCal FiRM plaNts FiRM FoRest FouNdatioNs
sUsTAINAbLE FOREsTRY
tree planting at the new Forest-themed hQ of Roger Bullivant ltd
sir William Worsley took up the post of Chair of the NFC on 1 april this year.
Engineering company Roger Bullivant Limited (RB) is moving into the heart of The National Forest, with impressive new headquarters at Walton Park, Swadlincote. The innovative foundation engineering company, which specialises in foundation and piling systems, has begun a relocation programme which will see the company relocate the whole of its UK headquarters to The National Forest.
I am delighted to be writing my first column as Chair of the National Forest Company. It is an honour to take the Chair of this great organisation and to see what has been achieved over the past 25 years. I have spent some time visiting the Forest, getting to know it and meeting people who live and work in it.
“To celebrate our move, we are pleased to announce support for the National Forest Way Ranger programme,” said Gary Farnell, RB managing director. “Our headquarters are only half a mile from the Swadlincote spur of the National Forest Way long distance walking trail, and we look forward to exploring the many and varied highlights of the Forest with friends and family.”
Welcome
From my base in the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire, there are massive contrasts, but also telling similarities. We have similar woodland cover but are a much more rural area with more mature woods and many more conifers. The key is the value of trees in the landscape and the benefits they bring. I get a great deal of pleasure in planting and looking after trees and woodlands and care deeply about my own woods. I believe they benefit the landscape and the communities who live in and around them.
I am very pleased that we have been awarded charitable status. This is a good achievement for the Forest and is suitable for what The National Forest now is. We have also recruited three new trustees: Tony ballance, suzanne Carr and Jack buckner. They bring a useful balance of skills and I welcome them onto the board. Our new partnership with Forest Holidays is a perfect example of how our new charitable status can help us be more flexible and innovative, and support the work that we have been doing for 25 years, and will continue to do, at the forefront of environmental regeneration. In finishing I should like to thank my predecessor Catherine GrahamHarrison who chaired the National Forest Company for the last five years and for the excellent job she did. I am excited to be part of The National Forest at this tremendous new stage for the Forest and the Company. Our 25th anniversary is a great milestone and one that we should all be proud of.
sir William Worsley, Chair, National Forest Company
>>
At the new RB headquarters: tree planting (inset); National Forest-themed reception area
WilliaM WoRsley, NeW ChaiR oF the NatioNal FoRest CoMpaNy
John Everitt, CEO of the National Forest Company, was delighted to welcome RB to the Forest. He said: “RB is a pioneering company and we hope their support will encourage others to appreciate the many benefits The National Forest provides to local businesses and their employees. Getting people out and about and leading healthier lives is good for us and good for business.”
it takes skill and tact to manage half a million visitors, 126 ha of woodland and around 400 deer. Bradgate Park, first enclosed as a deer park before 1241, is one of the most popular visitor spots in The National Forest, and is developing into a leading example of 21st century sustainable forestry. The majority of the Park’s woodlands are open to the deer but closed to the public. This means that the animals have space away from people, and the Park can employ different management techniques in different areas, such as leaving deadwood to decay naturally for the benefit of wildlife where there is no danger to the public from dead and dying trees.
This work produces firewood and charcoal, and stakes and binders that are used for laying hedges on the estate or sold. Ash and sweet chestnut are cleaved to produce
>> >> page 2
[
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, black to Green ran a tree felling session for special Needs Circle – East Midlands, a parent-led group offering support for families and carers of children with special or additional needs. The group spent a wonderful day in sarah’s Wood learning the basic principles of woodland management and having a go at felling trees using hand tools. A follow up session then took place at Catton Hall, where the group were able to transform the wood that they had felled into bird and bat boxes. They set to, sawing and splitting the timber, surrounded by the glorious bluebells of Catton estate, and created an array of new wildlife homes. some of the bird boxes will be installed in the families’ gardens with two set aside to return to sarah’s Wood. The bat boxes will be hung in the woodland and over the coming weeks the group will get the chance to use new bat detecting equipment to learn how to survey for bats.
test your stamina and determination with two exhilarating, exhausting and inspiring running events in the National Forest this summer! Stay on your feet for 24 hours in the Insomnia 24 event on 23 July, or run the National Forest Way 75 on 10 September. Either event can be run solo, in pairs or as a team relay. Insomnia 24 will be a family friendly event held at Cattows Farm, with free camping and entertainment all weekend. These are the first events to be organised here by Go Ultra Events, who are encouraging entrants to make a voluntary donation to the Forest. Director
Wayne Busby said: “We are very excited about The National Forest as a location for our events, and we hope our runners will be inspired to support it, enabling more people to enjoy doing what they love here, whether it’s running, walking or simply being in the great outdoors.” www.goultraevents.co.uk/events/
Funding from the National Forest Company has enabled training for Park staff so that most of the tree work is carried out in-house. The NFC has also grant-aided the purchase of a charcoal kiln and the start-up costs of the Young Ranger and Volunteer schemes.
Read more about Bradgate Park as a case study for The National Forest at www.nationalforest.org/docum ent/information/Bradgate parkCasestudy.pdf
FloWeRtastiC MiNi golF
Stewart Wills is a man who has spent his life travelling the world. Conscious that many hundreds of flights had stacked up a significant amount of 'carbon debt', he was inspired by articles in the press at the time of the Climate Change Conference in Paris last year, to contact the National Forest Company and discuss making a personal donation.
rails for use on the estate and any oak is milled locally for benches and other park furniture.
Simon West, Head of Forestry for the NFC, said: “Bradgate park may be a one-off in terms of the development of the National Forest, but it is almost the Forest in microcosm, with the interests of forestry and wildlife working alongside people. it’s great to see the trust continuing to invest in local skills and infrastructure, adding value to their produce which is sold locally.”
Whereas most woodland management in The National Forest involves young woodland, at Bradgate Park it’s a matter of thinning middle-aged trees, reestablishing coppice rotation and pollarding the parkland oak and sweet chestnut to produce the next generation of veteran trees.
iNteRNatioNal WoMeN’s day
WoRld tRavelleR oFFsets liFetiMe oF tRavel With doNatioN to the NatioNal FoRest
Deer numbers are kept constant through culling by Park staff and all processing is done on site. The Park supplies venison to local butchers, a farm shop and local restaurants.
The Park is also home to more than 500 veteran trees with the oldest being over 800 years old, each with its own management plan to ensure its longevity.
ULTRA RUNNING IN ash THE a passioN FoR NATIONAL FOREsT
black to Green has been working with Donisthorpe Youth Club on an innovative planting project, creating a wildflower meadow at Moira Furnace. To launch the meadow the young people came up with the idea of Flowertastic Mini Golf, which involved putting seed balls instead of regular golf balls. In preparation for the game, over 250 balls of clay, compost and wildflower seeds were made with members of the youth club and Donisthorpe Cubs. These were then distributed across the meadow with the help of over 90 players who took part in the activity during the Moira Furnace Fun Day. Many local residents took part, commenting on what an unusual idea the young people had come up with and what a unique opportunity it was to be involved in something that they will be able to watch develop and enjoy right on their doorstep. The meadow, which should include over 26 native wildflowers and grasses planted to attract bees and butterflies, is expected to flower this summer.
Mr Wills, who lives in Bowdon, Cheshire, wanted to ‘pay back’ the amount he has calculated to be more or less equivalent to the carbon debt from his travels thus far.
National Forest supporters lex autolease brought young people from stockport academy to work in the Forest for a day in the spring. They cleared ditches and carried out other woodland management tasks at Ulverscroft Manor in Charnwood, enhancing their STEM curriculum studies as well as having a great day out in very different surroundings.
He has made a substantial donation to the NFC to help create The National Forest. “Stewart’s generous gift is already making a difference, creating a new woodland grove,” explained Lynne Richards, Head of Fundraising for the NFC. “It is a creative and thoughtful way of offsetting his lifetime of travel in a very dynamic way.”
New NFC BoaRd The new charity has a new board of Trustees. At the inaugural meeting, they made time to get out and see some of the Forest.
Stewart Wills said: “As soon as one donates, something is planted in the ground and it starts working to pay back what is owed. I had been thinking about this for quite a while, but the time to do it is definitely now.”
From left: Jack buckner; Tony ballance; Roger Clarke; Chris Holmes; William Worsley; brian Mahony; suzanne Carr; John Everitt.
He continued: “I am not wanting to make an ideological statement; it simply feels like a very practical solution to the problem that modern travel presents. Planting trees helps to lock up carbon in the environment, as well as enabling all the other benefits trees provide: wildlife habitats, shelter, shade, taking up water and alleviating flooding, timber for manufacturing and fuel – not to mention their sheer beauty.
Staff from Lex Autolease are volunteering with Stockport Academy as part of Business in the Community to help prepare students for job interviews and the world of work.
You can become a Friend of The National Forest. Help us look after the woodlands, improve access to the Forest and provide inspiring environmental education projects for young people.
>> page 3
“I’d be very happy if this encouraged other people to make a donation to offset the travel in their lives.” if you are interested in discussing making a contribution to the Forest in this way, please contact lynne Richards on 01283 551211 or email lrichards@nationalforest.org
]
[
loWeR BRooMBRiggs gets CaRBoN FuNdiNg the National Forest Company has set up a pilot Carbon scheme, which runs alongside its grant schemes, to encourage more landowners to create woodlands within the Forest. Since introducing the new scheme, the NFC has had a range of enquiries and two landowners who were successful applicants under Round 8 of the NFC Changing Landscapes Scheme have successfully applied to participate in the Carbon Scheme. One of these, Shane Hackett of Lower Broombriggs Farm, said: “We’re delighted to benefit from funding available under the National Forest Carbon scheme that’s helped us create a wonderful woodland here at lower Broombriggs.” This mixed broadleaf woodland, which was successfully created
plantatree to remember a loved one. Many people find comfort in planting a tree to remember and celebrate the life of a special person.
>> page 4
over the winter by Shane and his agent Chris Killingback, is in Charnwood, north west of Leicester. Over the course of the next 50 years and beyond, this new woodland will take up several hundred tonnes of carbon making an important contribution to helping combat climate change. Forest Carbon Ltd will register and verify the carbon and arrange for a carbon buyer on the landowner’s behalf. The Carbon Scheme is open for another 12 months, after which it will be reviewed by the National Forest Company and potentially extended. If you would like further details, please contact swest@nationalforest.org
]
>>
Newfields trail People in Moira have welcomed a new off-road trail that connects them with the walks, natural play area and extensive cycle trails at Hicks Lodge National Forest Cycle Centre. Local residents had put the new trail top of their list for developments in the area, and help from Forestry Commission volunteers plus funding from Lex Autolease and local housing developments made the new link possible.
Look out for more associated activities led by black to Green including scything workshops and pollinator surveys. www.facebook.com/blacktogreen. coalpitstotreetops/
[
Leave a legacy to The National Forest and create a green and living memory. see www.nationalforest.org/sponsor/legacy/
]
Look out for #forestlife – highlighting events, activities and experiences throughout The National Forest.
the National Forest Company bath Yard, Moira, swadlincote, Derbyshire DE12 6bA T: 01283 551211 E: enquiries@nationalforest.org W: www.nationalforest.org
Derby
Burton upon Trent
Birmingham
ForestScene sUMMER 2016
Nottingham Leicester
Swadlincote Ashby de la Zouch
Large print version available Tel: 01283 551211
Coalville
Events JuNe
July 1 – 3 National Forest Folk Festival, 01676 540219 10 Ashby show, Cattows Farm, Heather, 01283 229225 16 Dinosaurs Awaken. National Forest Adventure Farm maize maze opens, 01283 533933 16 – 4 sept The search for secret Water: new family trail at stoneywell, 01530 248048 31 – 7 aug Heather scarecrow Festival, heatherscarecrow@gmail.com
august 6 – 7 Medieval fighting knights at Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0370 333 1181 12 – 14 bloodstock, Catton Hall Estate, www.bloodstock.uk.com 13 – 14 Ashby & Willesley Vintage Festival, Moira Furnace, info@ashbywillesleyvintagefestival.co.uk 16 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0870 333 1183 29 Leicestershire County Council Countryside show beacon Hill Country Park, www.leicscountryparks.org.uk
septeMBeR 9 sep – 8 oct Melbourne Festival, www.melbournefestival.co.uk
oCtoBeR 3 – 9 Windsor Chair-making 7-day course, Greenwood Days, 01332 864529 14 – 16 swadlincote International Food & Drink Festival, 01283 222848
>>
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
Charitable status for the NFC and a new partnership with Forest holidays The new partnership will encourage Forest Holidays’ customers to make a donation to support The National Forest when booking a holiday in one of the forest lodges. All donations will be used to help the work of creating and developing The National Forest, transforming the landscape, economy and communities across its 200 square miles. Bruce McKendrick, Chief Executive of Forest Holidays, said: “Forest Holidays is delighted to have formed a new partnership with the National Forest Company.
We already contribute millions of pounds a year to support woodlands right across the UK and our whole team were massively keen to support this project which is not only local to our offices in Moira but has such national significance. The National Forest is visionary and on its 25 year anniversary it’s clear it has succeeded in creating a forest in one of the least wooded areas of the country, proving that sustainable investment has widereaching benefits. Forest Holidays absolutely shares The National Forest's aims of bringing
When is a woodland a classroom?
communities together, improving habitats and ecosystems and supporting visitor, woodland and recreational economies. We are partners with the Forestry Commission and based exclusively on their land across the UK, and our guests care about supporting the UK’s forest environments. Now they have a chance to contribute towards this amazing project every time they book.”
Many schools are interested in taking learning outdoors, but what features make a woodland work best as an outdoor classroom? The young woodlands in The National Forest, now approaching first thinnings, make an ideal place for educators and woodland owners to find out more about how best to manage a woodland, to make it an effective and inspirational place where children and young people can learn.
For more information on Forest holidays see www.forestholidays.co.uk
CREATING A REsILIENT FOREsT this winter saw substantial work at the NFC’s Nanpantan Road site, where a new woodland has been created using a different kind of planting mix designed to be more resilient to climate change. The work on this important new site has been made possible by the English Woodland Grant Scheme and is supported by corporate partners including the largest sponsor on this site, James Latham. Although it is principally a large new native woodland, a small element of mixed conifers has been included, partly to reflect the wider landscape (which features the magnificent Scots pine) but mainly to increase diversity and promote longer term resilience of the woodland. Here you will find a selection of species, all recommended for their likely resilience in the longer term in relation to increasing climatic variation, such as Silver Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Serbian Spruce, Deodar and Japanese Red Cedar. The species being trialled were chosen based on the Forestry Commission Ecological Site Classification model which shows suitability of species for planting in different parts of the UK.
>> >> page 5
[
Simon West, Head of Forestry for NFC, said: “in the future we hope to use this site as a demonstration of the use of alternative species for future woodland creation in the Forest. We have also begun to use species such as silver fir to underplant areas of ash on some of our sites, as the ash is likely to die out in the short to medium term. again, we would like to use such areas to demonstrate to other owners and managers options for managing their own areas of ash planting that may be similarly affected in the future.” Resilience is of increasing concern in forest creation and species choice within forestry across the country, and the work taking place in The National Forest adds to the bank of knowledge and practical experience that the NFC can offer the industry. Other corporate partners supporting forest creation on this site include PrimoIT and Eursap.
Forest Scene online Let us know if you would prefer to read Forest scene online and help us save paper and postage. Email forestscene@nationalforest.org Thank you!
hip hip huRRay –
BBC Radio 4’s Open Country visits the NatioNal FoRest
Over the past year, the NFC has been working with the Sylva Foundation to offer training for educators and woodland owners on the mutual benefits of managing woodlands together.
use such as a fire pit, shelter or climbing trees, and note any management activities or tasks needed in relation to how the features or areas are to be used. Working together in this way has seen sites develop from uninviting, impenetrable woodland to places where children can feel safe to explore and learn. Sue Anderson, Community Liaison Officer for the NFC, said: “Bringing woodland owners and educators together to discuss the value of managing woodlands for education and providing practical support has been invaluable. these enjoyable, informal sessions have helped us develop our woodland network locally.”
Open Country presenter Helen Mark joined one of The National Forest’s twice-yearly Plant a Tree events, and proudly planted ‘the Open Country oak tree’. She spoke with some of the hundreds of other people from all over the country planting trees to remember loved ones or to celebrate a happy event. She said: “Proud that I am as an individual to be able to plant an oak tree for Open Country, I get a real sense – and through hearing other people talk - that what I’m putting in the ground here has a much
The training sessions and sites within The National Forest will be the basis for further work by the NFC and its partners. www.nationalforest.org/ involved/education/ During the sessions the groups visit woodlands and hear from the landowners and groups that use the site about how the activity and management can work hand in hand.
Rosliston Forestry Centre will be offering an outdoor learning course on 28 June, for teachers and educators to get the most out of Learning Outside the Classroom.
The Sylva Foundation has developed an online planning tool, myForest for Education, which helps participants record their site, marking habitats, water features, areas of specific
Find out more here: http://www.lotc.org.uk/ news-and-events/ clotc-events-training/ meaningful-learning/
]
You can now find The National Forest on Facebook, and we tweet @NatForestCo
>> page 6
Helen Mark interviewing National Forest supporter John Swanwick
18 Father’s Day special with Field sports UK, Ashby de la Zouch, 07973 115769 18 – 19 Catton Park Horse Trials, 01283 716311 25 Armed Forces Day, National Memorial Arboretum, 01283 245100 25 – 26 south Derbyshire Festival of Leisure, 01283 595846
She also interviewed volunteers in the Forest, Forest businesses and supporters. Helen was moved by what she heard: “it’s amazing to hear the impact the National Forest has on the lives of people who live and work here.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b076mptd
things to do along the National Forest Way Throughout the year we’ll be highlighting things to do and experiences to enjoy.
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for 25 things you can see and do along the 75-mile long distance walking trail.
www.nationalforest.org
Photographs courtesy of Christopher Beech; Darren Cresswell; Danny Green/2020VISION; Jacqui Rock; Black to Green; Forest Holidays.
The National Forest Company is now a charity, opening up an exciting new era for The National Forest. Receiving charitable status is a significant development and will enable new ways of working to create and develop the Forest.
bigger part to play in a huge picture of landscape renewal through nature. It’s great to be part of it.”
You can listen to the stories Helen uncovered by downloading the podcast from the BBC website:
25
CELEbRATING 25 YEARs OF THE NATIONAL FOREsT!
CHARITAbLE sTATUs FOR THE NFC
Celebrate by sharing what the Forest means to you the National Forest, the boldest environmentally-led regeneration project in the country, reaches its first quarter century this year and we want you to help us at the National Forest Company celebrate.
HOW YOU CAN TAKE PART:
Through ‘My National Forest’ we invite you to share with us just what the Forest means to you: what is important about the Forest, what do you love about it? Where are the places you visit and revisit? What difference has the transformation of the landscape – the trees, the woodlands, the businesses, the activities in the Forest – made to your life?
Send us words about the Forest by email to mynationalforest@nationalforest.org
Please send us your images, video, music or words. We’re hoping to capture a snapshot of the Forest in this its 25th year, and build up a resource that reflects the personal or quirky, the landscape or surroundings, to illustrate what the Forest means to people who live, work and visit here.
Please post images to: www.nationalforest.org/mynationalforest or to our Flickr gallery My National Forest
We’ll be posting these to the My National Forest blog. Post video or music to YouTube and send us the link by email (address above) Then keep an eye on the galleries and blog as they grow, and let’s discover together what The National Forest means to people today.
thank you for your contributions – we can’t wait to see them!
John Everitt, the National Forest Company Chief Executive, said: “achieving charitable status is a major milestone for the National Forest Company and sets us up for the next 25 years of the National Forest project. the Company will continue to be at the forefront of environmental regeneration, and moving to charitable status will enable us to be more entrepreneurial, innovative and flexible in our work.” On the back of securing charitable status, the NFC has signed up a new partnership with Forest Holidays, an organisation which works exclusively on Forestry Commission sites, specialising in luxury short breaks in woodland settings across the country, and has its headquarters in the heart of The National Forest.
>>
READ MORE ON PAGE 5
The National Forest – transforming 200 square miles of central England
Look out for #forestlife – highlighting events, activities and experiences throughout The National Forest.
the National Forest Company bath Yard, Moira, swadlincote, Derbyshire DE12 6bA T: 01283 551211 E: enquiries@nationalforest.org W: www.nationalforest.org
Derby
Burton upon Trent
Birmingham
ForestScene sUMMER 2016
Nottingham Leicester
Swadlincote Ashby de la Zouch
Large print version available Tel: 01283 551211
Coalville
Events JuNe
July 1 – 3 National Forest Folk Festival, 01676 540219 10 Ashby show, Cattows Farm, Heather, 01283 229225 16 Dinosaurs Awaken. National Forest Adventure Farm maize maze opens, 01283 533933 16 – 4 sept The search for secret Water: new family trail at stoneywell, 01530 248048 31 – 7 aug Heather scarecrow Festival, heatherscarecrow@gmail.com
august 6 – 7 Medieval fighting knights at Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0370 333 1181 12 – 14 bloodstock, Catton Hall Estate, www.bloodstock.uk.com 13 – 14 Ashby & Willesley Vintage Festival, Moira Furnace, info@ashbywillesleyvintagefestival.co.uk 16 A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ashby de la Zouch castle, 0870 333 1183 29 Leicestershire County Council Countryside show beacon Hill Country Park, www.leicscountryparks.org.uk
septeMBeR 9 sep – 8 oct Melbourne Festival, www.melbournefestival.co.uk
oCtoBeR 3 – 9 Windsor Chair-making 7-day course, Greenwood Days, 01332 864529 14 – 16 swadlincote International Food & Drink Festival, 01283 222848
>>
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
Charitable status for the NFC and a new partnership with Forest holidays The new partnership will encourage Forest Holidays’ customers to make a donation to support The National Forest when booking a holiday in one of the forest lodges. All donations will be used to help the work of creating and developing The National Forest, transforming the landscape, economy and communities across its 200 square miles. Bruce McKendrick, Chief Executive of Forest Holidays, said: “Forest Holidays is delighted to have formed a new partnership with the National Forest Company.
We already contribute millions of pounds a year to support woodlands right across the UK and our whole team were massively keen to support this project which is not only local to our offices in Moira but has such national significance. The National Forest is visionary and on its 25 year anniversary it’s clear it has succeeded in creating a forest in one of the least wooded areas of the country, proving that sustainable investment has widereaching benefits. Forest Holidays absolutely shares The National Forest's aims of bringing
When is a woodland a classroom?
communities together, improving habitats and ecosystems and supporting visitor, woodland and recreational economies. We are partners with the Forestry Commission and based exclusively on their land across the UK, and our guests care about supporting the UK’s forest environments. Now they have a chance to contribute towards this amazing project every time they book.”
Many schools are interested in taking learning outdoors, but what features make a woodland work best as an outdoor classroom? The young woodlands in The National Forest, now approaching first thinnings, make an ideal place for educators and woodland owners to find out more about how best to manage a woodland, to make it an effective and inspirational place where children and young people can learn.
For more information on Forest holidays see www.forestholidays.co.uk
CREATING A REsILIENT FOREsT this winter saw substantial work at the NFC’s Nanpantan Road site, where a new woodland has been created using a different kind of planting mix designed to be more resilient to climate change. The work on this important new site has been made possible by the English Woodland Grant Scheme and is supported by corporate partners including the largest sponsor on this site, James Latham. Although it is principally a large new native woodland, a small element of mixed conifers has been included, partly to reflect the wider landscape (which features the magnificent Scots pine) but mainly to increase diversity and promote longer term resilience of the woodland. Here you will find a selection of species, all recommended for their likely resilience in the longer term in relation to increasing climatic variation, such as Silver Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Serbian Spruce, Deodar and Japanese Red Cedar. The species being trialled were chosen based on the Forestry Commission Ecological Site Classification model which shows suitability of species for planting in different parts of the UK.
>> >> page 5
[
Simon West, Head of Forestry for NFC, said: “in the future we hope to use this site as a demonstration of the use of alternative species for future woodland creation in the Forest. We have also begun to use species such as silver fir to underplant areas of ash on some of our sites, as the ash is likely to die out in the short to medium term. again, we would like to use such areas to demonstrate to other owners and managers options for managing their own areas of ash planting that may be similarly affected in the future.” Resilience is of increasing concern in forest creation and species choice within forestry across the country, and the work taking place in The National Forest adds to the bank of knowledge and practical experience that the NFC can offer the industry. Other corporate partners supporting forest creation on this site include PrimoIT and Eursap.
Forest Scene online Let us know if you would prefer to read Forest scene online and help us save paper and postage. Email forestscene@nationalforest.org Thank you!
hip hip huRRay –
BBC Radio 4’s Open Country visits the NatioNal FoRest
Over the past year, the NFC has been working with the Sylva Foundation to offer training for educators and woodland owners on the mutual benefits of managing woodlands together.
use such as a fire pit, shelter or climbing trees, and note any management activities or tasks needed in relation to how the features or areas are to be used. Working together in this way has seen sites develop from uninviting, impenetrable woodland to places where children can feel safe to explore and learn. Sue Anderson, Community Liaison Officer for the NFC, said: “Bringing woodland owners and educators together to discuss the value of managing woodlands for education and providing practical support has been invaluable. these enjoyable, informal sessions have helped us develop our woodland network locally.”
Open Country presenter Helen Mark joined one of The National Forest’s twice-yearly Plant a Tree events, and proudly planted ‘the Open Country oak tree’. She spoke with some of the hundreds of other people from all over the country planting trees to remember loved ones or to celebrate a happy event. She said: “Proud that I am as an individual to be able to plant an oak tree for Open Country, I get a real sense – and through hearing other people talk - that what I’m putting in the ground here has a much
The training sessions and sites within The National Forest will be the basis for further work by the NFC and its partners. www.nationalforest.org/ involved/education/ During the sessions the groups visit woodlands and hear from the landowners and groups that use the site about how the activity and management can work hand in hand.
Rosliston Forestry Centre will be offering an outdoor learning course on 28 June, for teachers and educators to get the most out of Learning Outside the Classroom.
The Sylva Foundation has developed an online planning tool, myForest for Education, which helps participants record their site, marking habitats, water features, areas of specific
Find out more here: http://www.lotc.org.uk/ news-and-events/ clotc-events-training/ meaningful-learning/
]
You can now find The National Forest on Facebook, and we tweet @NatForestCo
>> page 6
Helen Mark interviewing National Forest supporter John Swanwick
18 Father’s Day special with Field sports UK, Ashby de la Zouch, 07973 115769 18 – 19 Catton Park Horse Trials, 01283 716311 25 Armed Forces Day, National Memorial Arboretum, 01283 245100 25 – 26 south Derbyshire Festival of Leisure, 01283 595846
She also interviewed volunteers in the Forest, Forest businesses and supporters. Helen was moved by what she heard: “it’s amazing to hear the impact the National Forest has on the lives of people who live and work here.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b076mptd
things to do along the National Forest Way Throughout the year we’ll be highlighting things to do and experiences to enjoy.
Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for 25 things you can see and do along the 75-mile long distance walking trail.
www.nationalforest.org
Photographs courtesy of Christopher Beech; Darren Cresswell; Danny Green/2020VISION; Jacqui Rock; Black to Green; Forest Holidays.
The National Forest Company is now a charity, opening up an exciting new era for The National Forest. Receiving charitable status is a significant development and will enable new ways of working to create and develop the Forest.
bigger part to play in a huge picture of landscape renewal through nature. It’s great to be part of it.”
You can listen to the stories Helen uncovered by downloading the podcast from the BBC website:
25
CELEbRATING 25 YEARs OF THE NATIONAL FOREsT!
CHARITAbLE sTATUs FOR THE NFC
Celebrate by sharing what the Forest means to you the National Forest, the boldest environmentally-led regeneration project in the country, reaches its first quarter century this year and we want you to help us at the National Forest Company celebrate.
HOW YOU CAN TAKE PART:
Through ‘My National Forest’ we invite you to share with us just what the Forest means to you: what is important about the Forest, what do you love about it? Where are the places you visit and revisit? What difference has the transformation of the landscape – the trees, the woodlands, the businesses, the activities in the Forest – made to your life?
Send us words about the Forest by email to mynationalforest@nationalforest.org
Please send us your images, video, music or words. We’re hoping to capture a snapshot of the Forest in this its 25th year, and build up a resource that reflects the personal or quirky, the landscape or surroundings, to illustrate what the Forest means to people who live, work and visit here.
Please post images to: www.nationalforest.org/mynationalforest or to our Flickr gallery My National Forest
We’ll be posting these to the My National Forest blog. Post video or music to YouTube and send us the link by email (address above) Then keep an eye on the galleries and blog as they grow, and let’s discover together what The National Forest means to people today.
thank you for your contributions – we can’t wait to see them!
John Everitt, the National Forest Company Chief Executive, said: “achieving charitable status is a major milestone for the National Forest Company and sets us up for the next 25 years of the National Forest project. the Company will continue to be at the forefront of environmental regeneration, and moving to charitable status will enable us to be more entrepreneurial, innovative and flexible in our work.” On the back of securing charitable status, the NFC has signed up a new partnership with Forest Holidays, an organisation which works exclusively on Forestry Commission sites, specialising in luxury short breaks in woodland settings across the country, and has its headquarters in the heart of The National Forest.
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The National Forest – transforming 200 square miles of central England