Spotlight: The Ashdown Forest Foundation
As part of The Big One Hundred, we’re celebrating not only the stories, imagination and wildlife of Ashdown Forest, but also the people working to protect its future. The Ashdown Forest Foundation is the Forest’s dedicated fundraising charity, supporting conservation projects, habitat restoration and long-term plans to safeguard this rare and remarkable landscape for generations to come.
We caught up with Katie Jones, Fundraising Manager, and Robin St Clair Jones, Chair of the Ashdown Forest Foundation, to find out more about the Foundation’s work, the challenges facing the Forest, and how The Next Chapter campaign is helping to write Ashdown Forest’s next 100 years.
Hi! Please introduce yourself
Katie Jones: I’m Katie Jones, Fundraising Manager for The Ashdown Forest Foundation.
Robin St Clair Jones: I’m Robin St Clair Jones, Chair of the Ashdown Forest Foundation.
What is the Ashdown Forest Foundation and what role does it play in protecting the Forest? (When did it start/what does it do?)
Robin: The Foundation was set up in 2018 by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest. We engage with the local community and businesses to raise awareness of the challenges Ashdown Forest faces, both long term and day to day.
Katie: We’re also the Forest’s first formal fundraising body. We raise funds by speaking and campaigning publicly to raise awareness of how special the Forest is, inviting support from businesses both local and further afield, and working with environmental trusts and foundations.
Ashdown Forest means so much to so many people. What makes it such a special place, both for wildlife and for the people who visit it?
Katie: The Forest’s landscape is truly special. Its lowland heath environment is rarer than rainforest, and it’s home to many endangered and protected species. I like to think that the Forest has been a “hidden jewel” for a long time — people have always spent time here, but they may not be aware of the wonders of nature that are just out of sight. Maybe there’s a hazel dormouse sleeping in that stand of bushes, or a Green Tiger Beetle zooming across that path behind you. These are two of the Forest’s keystone species, and their presence can indicate a healthy heathland ecosystem.
Robin: Ashdown Forest is much more than just a beautiful landscape. For many people, it is a place where nature, history, imagination and memories come together. It was the inspiration for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and the drawings of E. H. Shepard.
Sadly, a lot of the wildlife that would have been seen 100 years ago, when the first books were written, has diminished. The insect population has fallen dramatically, and many more trees have grown since 1926. Ashdown Forest isn’t really a forest as such, but rare lowland heathland, supporting some very rare flora and fauna — from Nightjars, with their unusual churring sound, to the beautiful Marsh Gentian.
Katie: And of course, this year we’re celebrating 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh. When you spend time on the Forest in the places that A. A. Milne and Christopher Robin trod all those years ago, it really brings you closer to a more carefree time. The Forest is accessible to everyone, all year round. As a visitor, you can step out of your busy modern life for an hour or a day, take a breath and let your imagination run free.
The Big One Hundred is all about writing the Forest’s next chapter. Can you tell us about the Next Chapter campaign and why it’s such an important moment for the Foundation?
Katie: This year, we want to grasp the opportunity we’ve been given through Winnie-the-Pooh’s centenary to really highlight and raise awareness of the Forest and its needs. In the UK, biodiversity has seen a huge decline over the last century, and The Next Chapter is all about bringing back the Forest’s biodiversity for the future.
Inspired by Pooh’s 100th birthday, we’re looking ahead to the next 100 years and how we can protect this special place. We’ve created a 100 Year Legacy Fund, which will support long-term landscape and conservation projects on Ashdown Forest, helping it to become more resilient, restoring biodiversity and protecting endangered species. Part of this legacy is also to ensure that the Forest remains open and accessible to the public.
Robin: The Next Chapter campaign and The Big One Hundred have also given us the opportunity to launch various initiatives and explain why this very special place needs support. We’ve dramatically increased our mailing list and now communicate regularly through our e-newsletter.
We also launched 100 for 100, where we hope to attract 100 local and national businesses to become Corporate Guardians and help protect Ashdown Forest for the next 100 years.
If people choose to donate, what difference will their support make? What kinds of projects and conservation work will it help fund over the coming years?
Katie: Money raised through the crowdfunder will go towards our 100 Year Legacy Fund, supporting habitat and species projects across the Forest.
One example is pony grazing, which helps keep invasive plant species down and clear the heathland to support ground-nesting birds and butterflies such as the Silver-studded Blue. We also need to support the conservation of the hazel dormouse, which is rarely seen on the Forest but is a keystone species and a good indicator of a healthy environment.
Peatland restoration is another important area of work. Few people know much about the Forest’s peatlands, but they are an excellent resource for carbon capture — even better than trees. Bird conservation is also vital. This year we saw the first-ever live feed of Honey Buzzards nesting in the UK, made possible through efforts to encourage these wonderful birds back to the Forest over the last few years.
Donations also support the Forest team and volunteers by helping provide the equipment, vehicles and protective gear they need.
Robin: One of our biggest challenges is invasive species such as bracken, pine, gorse and purple moor grass. We need volunteers and funds to keep these at bay and allow the more delicate flora and fauna to flourish, helping to restore the lowland heathland.
We also need to monitor important species such as the Green Tiger Beetle, Dartford Warbler and the beautiful and delicate Silver-studded Blue butterfly. All of this requires time and money. With people’s support, we can protect Ashdown Forest for future generations and hopefully inspire more people to cherish nature.
We’ve also been fortunate enough to secure match funding from the Aviva Foundation, meaning donations made through the campaign will be doubled. You really can make twice the difference and help preserve Pooh’s home for all its inhabitants for the future.
What’s one thing about Ashdown Forest that you wish more people knew?
Katie: How diverse it is. People often think of a “forest” as a place full of trees, but Ashdown Forest is actually a mixture of different environments and is mostly open landscape. When you visit, you’ll see vast heather and gorse heathlands, interspersed with stands of trees. There are occasional streams and hidden waterfalls, as well as rare and important peatland environments supporting some endangered plants.
“Forest” really means “king’s hunting ground”, which of course Ashdown Forest was for hundreds of years.
Robin: Its global rarity. Lowland heathland is scarcer than tropical rainforests, making Ashdown Forest an internationally vital home for rare ground-nesting birds and other species. It must be protected.
Do you have a favourite place, species or moment on the Forest that reminds you why this work matters?
Katie: I like to spend time at the A. A. Milne memorial at Gill’s Lap. You can see some of the most spectacular views on the Forest — possibly in the South East — from there. It’s a really peaceful place, and it’s wonderful to imagine Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin sitting here “at the top of the Forest” and talking about the future. We want to make it something they’d recognise and be proud of.
Robin: That’s a bit like asking, “Do you have a favourite child?” There is so much to see and enjoy on Ashdown Forest. You can walk in the footsteps of Christopher Robin, see the Hundred Acre Wood and Eeyore’s Gloomy Place, take in views that seem to go on forever, and enjoy the wonderful colours that the seasons bring. So my favourite place is… all of Ashdown Forest.
If you’d like to play a part in protecting Ashdown Forest’s next 100 years, please consider supporting the Ashdown Forest Foundation’s Next Chapter fundraiser. Every donation will help fund vital conservation work, habitat restoration and long-term projects that will safeguard this rare and special place for the future.