100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh marked with woodland interactive puppet performance

Trigger creative director and joint Angie Bual said: “Trigger is delighted to be celebrating Ashdown Forest, where AA Milne lived and wrote his beloved stories. One hundred years on, the forest is still inspiring us with its unique landscape and special species. To celebrate this site of imagination, we are weaving a new myth for this extraordinary landscape.”

The puppet performance will be part of The Big One Hundred, a series of cultural events in the forest. Alongside the puppetry, primary schools across Wealden will be offered free workshops, providing children with the chance to draw their own version of the creature. 

Mark Pearson, chief executive officer of the Conservators of Ashdown Forest said: “According to the English Nature Report, lowland heathland such as Ashdown Forest is rarer than rainforests; in the UK we have only about 16% left of the area that existed in 1800. The next generation will be vital in protecting this treasured landscape.”

He added: “We look forward to welcoming them as visitors who can follow in the footsteps of AA Milne and discover a new story for the forest, while witnessing the charm of the landscape and the need to look after it for the next 100 years to come.”

Councillor Rachel Millward, deputy leader of Wealden District Council, added: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to celebrate a story cherished across the globe, while protecting the extraordinary landscape that inspired it.”

Five themed walks will also be launched in Ashdown Forest this summer to add to celebrations.

This project is funded by Wealden District Council with support from The Ashdown Forest Foundation.