The Ashdown Forest podcast was launched in February 2023 thanks to a grant from The Ashdown Forest Foundation and the Friends of Ashdown Forest. Following a successful first year, the podcast is back for a second season for 2024, with funding support provided through the Foundation.

Co-created by audio producer Eka Morgan and wildlife guide Tom Forward, the podcast takes the Ashdown Forest as a springboard for conversations about wildlife, bringing awareness of and insights about the Forest to thousands of listeners worldwide.

In each episode audio producer, Eka Morgan, goes on a dawn and dusk walk with wildlife guide, Tom Forward. In between dusk and dawn, Eka interviews well-known writers, musicians and wildlife specialists – all recorded in the woodland and on the heath. They include:

  • Clare Balding, author and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Ramblings
  • Mary Colwell, author and campaigner for a Natural History GCSE
  • Dave Goulson, conservation hero and Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex
  • Tony Juniper, dedicated wildlife campaigner and Chair of Natural England
  • Sam Lee, conservationist, musician and folk expert
  • Caroline Lucas, Green MP
  • Rich Skrein, Forest School specialist
  • Ann Thwaite, biographer of Winnie-the-Pooh author A. A. Milne
  • Isabella Tree, author and pioneer of the wilding movement
  • Several members of the Ashdown Forest team

All episodes are available on the Ashdown Forest website here. Alternatively, search for ‘Ashdown Forest’ on your podcast platform of choice.

Start listening to the first episode of season two right here. In this episode:

  • How can we connect children with nature more?
  • Are children still excited about the outdoors? Hear from 9-17 year olds.
  • ‘Slimed, scratched, bitten and stung’? Is this the way to ignite curiosity? Hear from outdoor educators Lisa Stevens and Paula Da Luz.
  • The magic of the humble stick… with Rich Skrein, Forest School specialist.
  • Teenagers on a dusk walk… discovering biofluorescence.
 

 

In praise of the Ashdown Forest podcast

“This podcast is a total delight – a blissful meander through the treasures of the Ashdown Forest and the people it touches, including the general public. It’s also an immersion in nature itself, a gentle induction into the identification of species and the wonders of birdsong.”

Isabella Tree, author of the bestselling book “Wilding”, the story of the rewilding project at the Knepp Estate

“An invaluable source of information. I actually thought I was listening to a Radio 4 broadcast, it was so professional and well constructed.”

Vanessa Williams, Director, BBC Countryfile