Dame Helen Ghosh Supports Forest of Imagination

23 Jun 2017

Dame Helen Ghosh, Director-General at the National Trust has personally pledged her support of the Forest of Imagination, stating:

“We want to make sure children and their families can enjoy exciting and memorable outdoor experiences and be inspired to protect the environment. This is why we are so pleased to support the Forest of Imagination and we are sure it will be a great success.”

Alongside the Forest mission in 2017 to creatively link the urban edge of Bath to the prehistoric National Trust Meadow Bushey Norwood, Forest of Imagination are keen to encourage the city to come out to the edge and play within the beautiful natural wilderness that surrounds them.

The theme of conservation and protecting our natural environment is central to the thinking behind Forest. Last year giant inflatable Baobab trees popped up outside Bath Abbey to encourage a conversation about the fantastic, forgotten and fragile forests that exist across the world and how we can help to protect them. Bristol Zoo partnered with Forest and alongside, the House of Fairy Tales, engaged the Forest audience, particularly children, in the Zoo’s Madagascan conservation projects through interactive play.

Bristol Zoo Gardens are once again working with Forest of Imagination and the House of Fairy Tales to spread their conservation message to a wider audience using an Augmented Reality App, created by Bath agency Media Grand, to provide a Giant Tiny Ant Quest.

Andrew Grant, co-founder of Forest of Imagination, is a keen conservationist and is inspired by the work of Ecologist and Naturalist, E.O. Wilson. This year a quotation by E.O.Wilson has been used as the foundation of Forest of Imagination:

“Instinctively, without understanding whats happening, people know that in certain wild environments, they have come home.”

Dame Helen Ghosh, adds:

“The National Trust is delighted to be hosting the Forest of Imagination at Bushey Norwood, Bath this year. Today one of the big threats we face as a nation is disconnection from nature, which in turn impacts our ability to restore a healthy, beautiful natural environment. At a time when more children can identify a Dalek than a magpie, we want to make sure children and their families can enjoy exciting and memorable outdoor experiences and be inspired to protect the environment. This is why we are so pleased to support the Forest of Imagination and we are sure it will be a great success.” 

Dame Helen become Director-General of the National Trust in 2012.

This year’s Forest of Imagination will connect people to nature in a variety of wild and imaginative ways. Forest is open from June 30th until July 2nd from 10am to 6pm each day, Forest of Imagination is free to all.

For directions to Forest check here.