Feel Good In The Forest

The Rector’s Garden art installation has been created by students at Richard Hill CE Primary School, together with artist Mandeep Dhadialla, and in partnership with Charnwood Forest Geopark and Charnwood Arts. The 1st Thurcaston Brownies also very kindly helped in making some of the leaves for the trees.

Over several workshops, the children interpreted and recreated the Rector’s Garden through different art forms, exploring making three-dimensional paper sculptures of fruits and vegetables that featured within the Rector’s Garden account of 1694. Each year group – including Early Years – have contributed to this project, making leaves, kidney beans, hazelnuts, figs, apples, gooseberries and cabbages. The installation layout was imaginatively configured by Mandeep Dhardialla from the information found within the seventeenth-century document

As part of our ongoing partnership work with Charnwood Forest Geopark, we have worked with Age UK’s Men & Women in Sheds and a range of artists and community partners to craft 100 new habitats for wildlife in Charnwood Forest. Shed members have made bird, owl, insect, bat and hedgehog boxes which community groups, artists and schools have decorated to create small works of art. These habitats have been gifted to locations across Charnwood Forest to support local wildlife and draw interest to the sites. A map has been created to show where they can all be found. Why not take a trip to see some of the habitats and visit a new location within Charnwood Forest? The project was completed in February 2024.

Age UK’s Men & Women in Sheds project offers a safe space for people over 50 to explore or reconnect with making and mending in a large, well-equipped workshop in Loughborough. We’re working alongside members of the Sheds to create opportunities to grow their creative skills, connecting them with artists, writers, and scientists to share ideas and learn from each other. Together we designed and created a hand-crafted bench for The Outwoods in Charnwood Forest, providing a legacy for people to enjoy, for many years to come. 

 To find out more about Men and Women in Sheds visit AgeUK.

During 2023, we offered free creative learning sessions at The Outwoods for home educated children aged 5-11 and their parents or caregivers. Alongside artist Kate May Griffiths, we explored Charnwood Forest through arts activities and learnt about the local landscape and wildlife. Throughout this project worked educational resources were created, that are available for free to download below, to help the group continue to learn and explore the forest. The project ended in Nov 2023.

To support the ongoing learning of the group and their continued relationship with Charnwood Forest, we have developed some educational resources which have been shared (for free) here.

As part of our work in partnership with Charnwood Forest Geopark, from October 2022 to April 2023, we took over a large empty shop unit in Loughborough town centre to create The Urban Forest, an accessible community arts hub to bring the essence of the forest into the town. The space held art exhibitions, an indoor sculpture trail, sensory walk, talks, workshops, performances and wellbeing activities, all free of charge. It provided a safe and welcoming place for people to experience and learn about Charnwood Forest, through arts and creativity. 

Watch UF Film

Since 2021 we have been collaborating with Safe, Well, Happy, working together to help make Charnwood Forest more accessible to people with different needs. We host regular sessions with the group, exploring nature through creativity, learning new skills and exploring the forest. In 2022, members of the group decided that they’d like to create an accessible trail for one of their favourite places to visit, Beacon Hill. Artist Lucy Stevens worked with the group to create The Yellow Trail at Lower Beacon Hill, which opened to the public in May 2022. The Yellow Trail is a short 1km route, on level ground, through the forest. It begins at the Car Park and is signposted by hand-carved, brightly painted wooden posts created by group members. 

The Yellow Trail was co-created with the group and is now open to the public at Lower Beacon Hill.

We have worked with Charnwood Forest School to provide accessible outdoor learning sessions for children under 5 and their parents or caregivers. Our relationship with Charnwood Forest School began as part of our Urban Forest (link) project. We supported Charnwood Forest School to launch at new locations within Charnwood, at the Rectory Wildlife Garden in Loughborough and Oaks in Charnwood.

Pop along to the calendar page to see what Arts Activities are coming up!

Tom Hill explains his thinking process, behind the composition of the piece.

Tom Hill

Tom Hill

Karl Saddler

Karl Saddler

Led by artist Lucy Stevens